Harrodians are known for their articulacy and confidence. Our annual Public Speaking Competition provides the perfect opportunity for pupils aged from 8-13 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, as a girl in our 9s explains, ‘the public speaking competition allows you to research a subject that you really care about and that you might not normally have the chance to study at school.’
The public speaking competition allows you to research a subject that you really care about and that you might not normally have the chance to study at school.
9s (Year 5) pupil
Public speaking is a key part of the English curriculum for our 8s to 13s pupils. When asked why there is such an emphasis on it, Head of English Lucy Thomas says, ‘we feel it is important to teach not just reading and writing but spoken communication as well - being able to express yourself articulately is a fundamental life skill that needs to be nurtured throughout a child's education.’ Furthermore, public speaking, in the form of a Spoken Language Endorsement, is now a required component of GCSE English Language that our 13s pupils are currently preparing for.
We feel it is important to teach not just reading and writing but spoken communication as well - being able to express yourself articulately is a fundamental life skill that needs to be nurtured throughout a child's education.
Lucy Thomas, Head of English
Mrs Hitchcock (Head of 8s/English teacher) is also keen to point out the value of starting them young when she says, 'we start preparing them for this competition from the 8s to normalise public speaking and to ensure they all have the opportunity and time to develop into confident, expressive individuals; qualities that lie at the heart of our school ethos.' 
As in previous years, every pupil in the 8s to 13s delivered speeches to their class and in turn listened to those of their peers. They then had to choose the best speaker to be their class representative in the competition. Once chosen, our finalists took to the Theatre stage and spoke in front of an expert judging panel, as well as two entire year groups. The finalists’ passion for their subject really came across and the way in which they responded to unexpected questions from the audience with such clarity was impressive.
All the talks were of such high standard and covered a broad and creative range of topics. Some tackled big issues like rehabilitation for prisoners, climate change and body image whilst others talked about subjects more personal to them, like a love of food, or why dogs are the best pet ever.
On the judging panel a combination of Harrodian parents, Sixth Formers and staff, all with extensive public speaking experience, had the formidable task of choosing a winner, highly commended and commended speakers 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.
Our awarded winners and runners up were:
8s and 9s (Year 4/5)
Winner:
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Susanna (9s) – Nosebleeds
Highly Commended:
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Ramsey (8s) – Lionel Messi
Commended:
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Sasha (9s) – The importance of kindness
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Charlie (8s) – Save our elephants
10s and 11s (Year 6/7)
Winner:
- Fiona (10s) – Grimm's Fairytales are bad for you
Runners Up:
- Olivia (11s) – Therapy dogs in schools
- Jamie (11s) – Why Star Wars is the most important film franchise
Highly Commended:
- Freddie (11s) – Over-population and the effect on climate change
12s and 13s (Year 8/9)
Winner:
- Ilaria (13s) – Why we should stopping buying and reading the Daily Mail
Runner Up:
- Scarlett (13s) – Why diamonds are NOT a girl’s best friend
Highly Commended:
- Thomas (12s) – Why bamboo is the best material to use
Congratulations to all the pupils who took part and to the English department for organising such a successful event.