Pupils from two Bromley schools have been going head to head in a public speaking competition – that will culminate in a final judged in a famous London landmark by celebrated journalist John McCarthy and Emmy award winning BBC producer Lisa Osbourne.

Every child at Bickley Park School for boys and Bromley High School for girls, from 5 – 13 years old, has delivered speeches covering a wide range of topics. The 5-9 year olds have been able to choose their own topic, whilst the older pupils have spoken about a major world issue.

Younger pupils who make it through to the final round will talk about a topic of their choosing whilst older pupils will talk about a journalist who has been killed, injured or imprisoned whilst reporting in different parts of the world.

Mr McCarthy, who was held hostage for five years during the crisis in Lebanon, will head the judging panel that will decide the winners of the contest at the final being held at St Bride’s, the world famous Journalists’ Church in Fleet Street.

Patrick Wenham, head teacher at Bickley Park – an independent prep school for boys aged 2½ - 13 – said the speaking competition aimed to improve pupils’ confidence and help them develop skills that would benefit them in later life.

“The competition was open to all students in Years 1 to 8. Each one of them carefully researched their subject matter and have gone on to present excellent speeches,” he added.

“Their reasoning and arguments in each heat have been eye-opening, informative and at times entertaining. I think it is important that the speeches to be delivered by older children in the final will focus on a profession that is so often portrayed in a bad light: journalism. There are many brave journalists reporting courageously in the world, in spite of the dangers they might personally experience.

“Having the poise and tenacity to be able to deliver a speech to a room full of people is a great foundation for all pupils to have, giving them the confidence to tackle future hurdles, such as university and job interviews. The confidence displayed by our five and six year olds when delivering their speeches has been impressive.”

Angela Drew, headmistress at Bromley High School – an independent school for girls aged 4 - 18 – said her students had similarly impressed staff with their speaking skills, and all those through to the closing round were looking forward to the final.

She said: “We have an enviable tradition of debating and public speaking at Bromley High and girls from Year 9 to Upper Sixth have enjoyed striking success in the ESU Public Speaking and Debating and the International Youth Debating Competitions this year, so we are delighted by this opportunity for our younger girls to take up the challenge of making their voice heard.”

Members of the public are welcome to attend the final, being held at 11am on Thursday, 30 March at St Bride’s.

Submitted by Lucy Clapham