The 474 students of Years 7 – 9 each penned a speech on a topic of personal passion and importance. They worked on it for 3–4 weeks: researching, drafting, editing, and practising their delivery – in front of parents, pets, the mirror, friends in classrooms and corridors at lunchtimes – in order to persuade their audience of their strongly held viewpoint. Topics ranged from Why Arranged Marriages Should be Stopped to Why Peppa Pig is Misshaping Young Minds, or Why We Must Read Fiction to Why Women’s Football Deserves Better.
At Surbiton High School, we champion the power of public speaking and encourage every student to believe in the power of their voice, learning to use it positively and effectively – whether personally, professionally, or for the greater good in the world. We aim to empower young people with the courage to speak out, to say what is true, what is vital, and what is needed, and perhaps what others may be too afraid to say. Importantly, two of our core values are ‘Community’ and ‘Respect’ (for self and others), and we took great pride in celebrating the minds and voices of our students in the annual public speaking competition.
In this house competition, successful students from the class heats went on to perform as part of a team in the roles of chair, main speaker, or vote of thanks – each playing their persuasive part. Those who triumphed in the house heats progressed to the grand Final, which took place on Thursday, 12th February in the Surbiton Assembly Rooms.
As is tradition, Head of English, Mr Anthony Sebastian, chaired the judging panel, which comprised last year’s winners together with the guest speaker. This year’s inspirational speaker was Ms Anna Jones, co-founder and CEO of RefuAid – a UK charity she helped build after identifying a problem first-hand and deciding to act. After studying International Relations, Anna volunteered with grassroots organisations, experiences that shaped her understanding of migration, inequality, and access to opportunity. With over nine years of experience building mission-driven organisations, Anna is passionate about encouraging young people to follow their curiosity, immerse themselves in real-world problems, and believe they can build meaningful solutions. Her work has been recognised by Forbes 30 Under 30 and Startups Magazine’s Most Influential Women of 2024.
The results of this year’s competition were:
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Overall Team Winners: Pankhurst
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Chairperson Winner: Isla Lloyd-Evans
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Main Speaker Winner: Sofia de Santiago-Avraam
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Vote of Thanks Winner: Mariella 9N
