A Year 11 pupil was named the best speaker at the regional final of a national public-speaking competition. Miles Huglin was awarded a shield for his speech arguing against the view that 'the truth has no inherent value' in the Hertfordshire final of the English-Speaking Union's Public Speaking Competition.
The tournament is open to teams of three pupils in Key Stage 4 (Years 10 and 11). “Miles and his team-mates, Akshat Joshi and Pranesh Varadarajan, also from Year 11, competed against seven other schools,” said History teacher Charlotte Coleman, who oversaw QE’s entry. “The team performed very well, but the standard was exceptionally high, with each of the competing schools having previously won a first-round competition, and unfortunately they did not progress to the next round.”
The Public Speaking Competition for Schools was started in 1960 and has evolved to become a highly respected national competition. Each team member takes one of three roles – chairperson, speaker or questioner.
Students who participate in the competition develop their knowledge of topical issues, while enhancing their speech-writing skills, their speaking and presentation skills, and their ability to think analytically on their feet. One of the aims of the competition is to help to develop confidence in the participants.