Debating Success for Miles 25 January 2021

Year 13 student, Miles King, has finished as runner-up in the 2020 English Speaking Union (ESU) Public Speaking Competition, the largest of its kind in England and Wales.

The competition, conducted online for the first time last year, was composed originally of 48 entrants from ten schools. The students progressed first through the local stage, and then the regional stage, before just six of them remained in the national finals. For each round, Miles gave a four-minute speech about the topic of his choice – the importance of small political parties – and took questions afterwards.

The English-Speaking Union, founded in 1918, plays an important part in improving literacy in students around the UK, offering free programmes in which young people can develop their confidence and oracy skills. Their Public Speaking Competition is a prestigious and challenging event, emphasising the importance of presentation, cooperation, and critical thinking.

Miles commented: “The competition has enabled me to present myself well; not only in person but also online which I think will be increasingly important in the future.”

Head of Politics, Mr Baker, added: “Miles did a great job presenting his detailed research on the role of smaller political parties in democracy and his answers to questions were detailed and very thoughtful.”