Speaking for Ourselves

Harrodians are known for their eloquence and confidence. Our annual Public Speaking Competition, run by the English department, provides the perfect opportunity for pupils in our 8s to 13s to live up to the billing.

In all the years of our Public Speaking Competition, no pupil has ever suffered a case of severe stage fright and refused to take part. On the contrary, most of them relish the opportunity to openly share their ideas and thoughts on a topic they feel passionately about.  Credit is due to our English department who always succeeds in making public speaking such an inclusive and positive experience for all children involved.

Public speaking is a key part of the English curriculum for our 8s to 13s pupils. Every pupil is asked to write a speech which they then deliver to the rest of class, and in turn they listen to those of their peers. They must then choose the best speaker to be their class representative in the competition. Once chosen, our finalists are invited to present their topics onstage (either in the Theatre or marquee) in front of an expert judging panel, as well as two entire year groups.

This year’s finalists impressed our English department and judges with the high standard of their speeches, the passion for their chosen subjects and the variety of topics they covered – some of which were challenging and personal. The effort each of them put into the preparation, research, crafting of language, and use of humour was particularly impressive, and they had their audiences smiling, laughing, gasping, agreeing and disagreeing; everything that competent, thought-provoking public speaking should do.

One of the reasons public speaking holds such significance is because it constitutes a required component for GCSE English Language. Known as a Spoken Language Endorsement, our 13s pupils (Year 9) prepare for and deliver this as part of the public speaking competition. But public speaking is also about developing essential life skills that will benefit our pupils in their academic, personal, and professional lives, as Head of English Lucy Thomas confirms, 'Being able to express yourself articulately is a fundamental life skill.' The same view is expressed by Rebecca Edge (English teacher/KS2 co-ordinator) who oversees the competition in the 8s – 11s. 'Starting public speaking at the young age of 8 (Year 4) ensures that all the children have the time to develop confident, expressive qualities that can help them achieve success and happiness in various aspects of life.'

Five of our Sixth Form students who are currently making significant progress in debating and Model United Nations can also attest to the advantages of public speaking experience. Back in the day, Rosalie, Sophia, Lakshmie, Thomas and Lucy all took part in the public speaking competition and can consequently appreciate what great training it was. To read the full article about them, please click here.

Bella, alumna and former Harrodian Head Girl (featured above, far left), who came back to school this week to judge the 12s/13s public speaking finals is also keen to point out why public speaking is such invaluable training. 'I loved public speaking when I was at Harrodian and my first speech in the 8s was all about loving Brussel sprouts! It helped me learn how to write and deliver speeches which came in handy when I became Head Girl!,' she enthuses. Since graduating from the University of Bristol in Theatre and Drama, Bella can appreciate how skills learnt at school have served her well. 'Being able to speak in front of an audience has been so important at university, as I regularly had to give class presentations in seminars. I want to go into the theatre industry and hopefully go into acting so public speaking has improved my projection, confidence and ability to hold the attention of an audience.'

This year’s winners are also very clear about what they learnt from the experience. Apoline (winner of 10s/11s competition) is first to share her thoughts. 'Speaking in front of such a large audience really helps your confidence. Once you do it, you feel like you can do anything!' Amber (winner of 12s/13s competition) reflects on the analytical skills needed to craft her speech and organise her thoughts cohesively. Meanwhile Joshua (winner of 8s/9s competition) highlights resilience as a key skill gained. 'I continued with my speech despite the microphone cutting out and it made me realise that sometimes when things go wrong you just have to keep going!' he says.

Congratulations to all our pupils who took part and to the judging panel comprising of Harrodian parents, former pupils and staff/former staff, all with extensive public speaking experience, who had the formidable task of choosing winners and runners up in each of the three age group categories. We would like to thank them all for giving up their time to judge the competitions and for offering their constructive and valuable feedback and to judge/parent Mrs Cawley for donating such generous prizes.

Here are the awarded winners and runners up from this year’s competition:

8s and 9s (Year 4/5)

Winner:

• Joshua (9KFI) - Why we should stop polluting our planet

Highly Commended: 

• Jack (8JSA) – Ants: what the human race can learn from them

Commended:

• Frances (8REG) – J K Rowling

10s and 11s (Year 6/7)

Winner:

• Apoline (10LMI) - Why healthcare should be free globally

Highly Commended

• Summer (11ABA) – Why drama should be a compulsory subject 

Commended:

• Phoenix (11LKE) -  Why sandwiches are the absolute best

12s and 13s (Year 8/9)

Winner:

• Amber (13CNA) – Why the atomic bomb is key to world peace

Highly Commended: 

• Arthur (13MHN) Why influencers are dangerous

Commended:

• Raffi (12LKE) – Why we need to learn more about ADHD
• Amber (12LKE) – Why we should be taught more life skills at school