Celebrating our students' successes in debating competitions

Izzy, Zora and Prarthana at the Business and Professional Women's Public Speaking Competition

Matilda, Daisy and Emilia at the Rotary Youth Speaks Public Speaking Competition.

Polly, Megan and Jahnavi at the Rotary Senior Speaks Public Speaking Competition.

Tara and Martha at the Oxford Schools Debating Competition.

Ashley from Year 12 excelling in the Gabblers speaking competition.

We are thrilled to celebrate the wonderful achievements of our students in recent debating and public speaking competitions. Their talent, confidence, and dedication have led to outstanding performances on multiple prestigious platforms.

In the English department, as well as supporting students to read widely and critically, and to write accurately and creatively, we also focus on our students' oracy skills. Oracy is so important in all aspects of life, and we work hard in English lessons and beyond to enable students to speak fluently, clearly and passionately about a wide range of ideas. We work on listening skills too, encouraging students to acknowledge, extend and challenge the ideas of their classmates.

Through our House Debating Competition, we build on these skills further, with all students having the opportunity to represent their house in a formal debate, and as a school we also take part in a variety of public speaking and debating competitions against local schools, and further afield. We believe passionately that once our students have found their voices, they can use them to change the world!

Victory at the Business and Professional Women’s Public Speaking Competition
Three of our Year 12 students—Izzy  (Chair), Zora (Speaker), and Prarthana (Expresser of Thanks) took part in the Business and Professional Women’s Public Speaking Competition Regional Final and won! Their presentation, 'Navigating the Nightmare of a Man’s World,' captured the judges, earning them an impressive trophy. They will now travel to Newcastle in April to compete in the Inter-Regional Final - another exciting challenge ahead!

Rotary Youth Speaks Public Speaking Competition
Back in February, three of our Year 9 students - Matilda , Daisy and Emilia  - were victorious in the District Final of the Rotary Youth Speaks Public Speaking Competition. Competing against four other teams, they delivered a compelling debate on the motion: 'This House Believes that Space Exploration is a Waste of Money.'

Their persuasive arguments and engaging delivery impressed both the judges and the audience, securing them a well-deserved win. The team will now go on to represent Redmaids' High at the Regional Finals in March.

Rotary Senior Speaks Public Speaking Competition
Polly, Megan (speakers) and Jahnavi (chair) from Year 12 won their Bristol heat, and narrowly missed out in the regional final, coming a very close second place. Their motion was: This house believes that censorship of language is more harmful than helpful. Their speeches were sophisticated and perceptive, with thoughtful and articulate response to the questions, and were very well received by both audience and judges!

Outstanding Performance at the Oxford Schools Debating Competition
In January, Tara and Martha in Year 11 took part in the highly competitive Oxford Schools Debating Competition, facing off against Sixth Form students from schools across the country. They debated on two challenging motions:

• 'This House would ban social media for children under the age of 16.'
• 'This House should pay a salary to all housewives and househusbands.'

Despite the tough competition, Tara and Martha performed exceptionally well, holding their own against older students and narrowly missing out on a spot in the next round. Their effort and skill in debating at such a high level deserve huge recognition!

The Gabblers Club Speaking Competition
Ashley from Year 12 is in the middle of her Gabblers journey. The Gabblers Club is a unique after dinner speaking competition, with 20 schools from all over the Bristol area speaking at a series of dinners, before the Grand Final at the end of April. Ashley's next speech is entitled 'Happy Endings'. 

Proud Moments for Redmaids' High Debaters
These fantastic successes present the incredible talent, hard work, and passion for debating among our students. Competing at such high levels is a testimony to their dedication and skills. We are very proud of all our participants and look forward to seeing them continue to shine on the debating stage.

Good luck to our teams in their upcoming competitions!

To learn more about our English Department, book a school visit HERE.