Public Speakers Scoop First Prize

Published by Bedford Upper School on Tuesday 6th of March 2018

The Bedford School Public Speaking Team put their persuasion skills to the test when they recently competed in the regional heats of the English Speaking Union Churchill Competition…and won! The team of three is composed of Ethan Ofosu in the Fourth Form, whose role it was to introduce the two speakers and chair the debate. Also in the team is Harry Hine, also in the Fourth Form, who took on the role of Speaker, and Freddie Pelling in Remove Form whose role it was to be the Questioner. During each round of the competition, the Chairman and Questioner from one of the competing schools are randomly selected to present with a Speaker from another school. Harry chose to speak on the topic of ‘Is Harry Potter still relevant?’ and Freddie questioned the topic ‘Are we becoming an angry society?’ Our team was by far the youngest in the competition, and so it was an incredible achievement for both Harry and Freddie to win Best Speaker and Best Questioner respectively. Their victory means that they have secured a place in the regional final which will be held later this month at Magdalene College, Cambridge. Public speaking is a vital life skill that students will use throughout their academic careers and in their everyday lives. It is not an easy skill to master and the fact these boys are still so young is a testament to their hard work and practice.