By Miss Gordon, Public Speaking Co-Ordinator and Mrs Tollit, Classics Teacher

On March 15th it was the London final of the English Speaking Union Churchill Public Speaking Competition set in the beautiful surroundings of Dartmouth House, Mayfair – what an inspiring evening was had!

Both teams represented NHEHS with aplomb, speaking with passion and tact. Neither team made it to the national final, but two won special awards. Huge congratulations to Elizabeth O’B who won Best Speaker for her talk entitled, “Justice will never be blind while the judiciary is predominantly white, male and middle class,” and to Clemency G for winning Best Questioner. This is a prestigious award, as it reflects an individual’s ability to think on their feet and diplomatically encourage a stranger to develop their arguments. The students all spoke brilliantly, inspired by the location – the Churchill room in the ESU in Mayfair where Churchill himself had given many addresses. Well done to both teams on the night –  Shaan W (Chair), Elizabeth O’B (Speaker), Lewhat Y (Questioner) and Isie H (Chair), Bella P-M (Speaker) and Clemency G (Questioner) – not forgetting that reaching this stage is a fantastic achievement in its own right. The judges also commented that their experience of the competition left them with no concerns that the future is safe in young people’s hands with their talent, clear thinking and empathy which has featured so strongly throughout the competition. 

What was especially pleasing about the preparation sessions was the extra support provided by Sixth Form students, making this a really collaborative initiative. Amelia E,  Zahra M, Yasmeen C all gave up their lunch and after school time to help the students practice. Great NHEHS spirit! Sincere thanks to Mrs Tollit who kindly volunteered to accompany the trip, provided support for nervous students, and took photos to celebrate their achievements.

Closer to home we have coming up our inter house public speaking competition, run by our new Year 10 Debating Leads to look forward to!