Speaking Out Together

Pupils from 9 London schools joined our latest public speaking competition, as our Debate Hub continues to grow.

After several terms of competing online, it was wonderful to host our first public speaking competition in person, welcoming over 50 pupils from local schools, including St Marylebone, Queens Park Community School, and Harris Westminster.  Students from Year 7 through to the Sixth Form each gave a speech and answered questions on it, as well as ‘compering’ (chairing and interviewing) a speaker from another school. Topics included Glorifying Suffering: How TikTok Feeds Mental Illness, Can You Ever Trust a Prime Minister, and Hell is Other People.

Five students, including South Hampstead’s Olivia in Year 10 whose speech was entitled The Potato, were selected for the finals in Waterlow Hall, chaired by Mrs Bingham. After a blind vote by the audience we had joint winners: congratulations to Lou and Bianca from La Sainte Union School.

South Hampstead’s Debate Hub was established several years ago, encouraging young people to find their voice; each term, hundreds of local pupils join us for regular coaching and competitions in public speaking and debating.