On Friday, 13 December, 58 Year 10 students took part in the ‘Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge’ workshops, spending the day off timetable to focus on crafting and delivering impactful speeches. The event gave students a unique opportunity to develop their public speaking skills, with expert external facilitators coaching them on how to select meaningful topics and deliver emotive speeches with a positive message. They were supported by Miss Ali and Miss Cator-Wanli, who enjoyed seeing the students outside their comfort zones and in an entirely unique context. They both commented on how impressed they were with the genuine passion of the students for their topics and their positive approach to public speaking. 

Each student chose a topic they were passionate about, ranging from environmental issues to mental health awareness, personal experiences to social justice causes. The facilitators helped our students refine their delivery, providing guidance on tone, voice projection, body language, and structuring a compelling argument. As the day progressed, our students grew in confidence and even those who may have been initially hesitant to speak made an effort to present, helped by their peers, the facilitators and teachers. By the end of the day, students were confidently delivering their speeches, engaging their audience with clarity and emotion.

Our students commented that the day was a refreshing break from the usual school routine, offering them a chance to explore a new skill in an interactive, hands-on way. The external facilitators commented on the encouraging atmosphere of the workshops and how engaged our Year 10s were. They found our students to be respectful but full of personality and energy!

Miss Ali and Miss Cator-Wanli selected Triston [10Y], Alpi [10W], Kaia [10Y], Angad [10Y], Alexandra [10R], and Jasmin [10B] as our winners from the workshops. They will face each other in our in-school final during an assembly on 28 January where a school finalist will be chosen to go forward to the regional final on 25 February.