On Thursday 3^rd November, 56 Year 10 students had the exciting opportunity to take part in the Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge. Trainers from the Speakers Trust were invited in to the school to work with our students, honing their public speaking skills and developing confidence that they can carry forward into their future endeavours. Our Year 10s were impressed with the knowledge, skills and experience of the trainers (including working with Nelson Mandela!) and thoroughly enjoyed the day.

After an intensive training session during the morning, students were challenged to stand up and speak in front of the rest of the group on a topic that they’re passionate about, with ideas including siblings, Islamophobia, the role of women in society, and mental health.

English teacher Ms Sarah Farmer, who organised the day, said, “The students showed that they are articulate, well-informed and that they care about some of the most important issues in the world today. It was inspirational to see so many of them conquer their fears of speaking in front of a room full of people – I was particularly impressed that many of them were able to do so without any notes!”

Congratulations to all of our participants, with a special mention to the winners from the day: Gaurav Bhardwoj, Sukhnam Kaur, Myah Matharu, Emira El-Saady, Zeeshan Malik, Jemma Lawton, Murtaza Haidary and Roshni Manku. They progress to the next round of the competition, when a winner will be chosen to represent Heston Community School at the Hounslow Regional Final.