Year 10 take on the ‘Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge’, 24 November 2023

During Year 10’s assembly on Tuesday, 30 January, four finalists took to the stage to deliver meaningful, heartfelt, engaging speeches in the next round of the ‘Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge’. Aparna 10G, Mibzall 10W, Prem 10R and Manmeet 10O were exceptional in their delivery and were impressive to listen to. The resilience, ambition and determination all four students demonstrated was admirable.

Miss Strachan [Year 10 Learning Coordinator]

Year 10 were an amazing audience for our four outstanding finalists in the Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge, showing incredible support for their classmates. Prem's speech reflected on each individual's route to success, it was inspirational and delivered with clarity and confidence. Aparna's speech on the challenges faced by immigrant communities and the important role parents play in our lives was engaging and self-assured. Manmeet's speech on the impact of medical errors was emotive, she showed such bravery in sharing her experience in front of so many. Mibzall employed an effective hook in his speech about making the most of our time each day. It was a thought provoking speech delivered with aplomb.

After a gruelling debate, the judges declared Aparna Bisht our school finalist with a special commendation for Manmeet Sidhu, who will act as our reserve. The regional final will take place on 27 February.

Ms Kaur [Assistant Curriculum Leader of English KS4]

“On Friday, 24 November we did our ‘Jack Petchey’ workshop, the ‘Speak Out Challenge’. In this workshop, we learnt about how to formulate a speech and speak confidently in front of our peers. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it as we played various games throughout the day, which helped improve our communication skills. My speech was about appreciating our parents as they have done everything for us. Overall, I enjoyed this workshop and feel that it improved my skills at speaking out confidently, which will help me in the future.” Aparna [10G]

      

“On Friday, 24 November we had a ‘Speak Out’ workshop with Jenny. We learnt three ideas about giving a speech: content, delivery and structure. We had our own booklet we could write in. We planned our speeches in bullet points and delivered them in front of everyone. For me, I wrote about knife crime and how it impacts this generation and future ones. I think this workshop helped people to step out of their comfort zones and make them confident outside school, preparing them for workplaces.” Anzal [10O]

"My experience of crafting and performing a speech for Jack Petchey was both eye-opening and aided my progression in my confidence and oral skills. I would also like to sincerely share my appreciation for Ms Kaur for her help and devotion, ensuring all four participants were ready to perform their speech live, to the whole year group. This unique experience is one I will never forgot!" Prem [10R]

“I gained confidence by speaking to everyone about why petrol and diesel cars should not be banned. The activities improved my body language and speaking skills.” Manveer [10W]

“On the day, I completed lots of speaking tasks which developed my confidence and I looked at what makes a speech effective: body language and delivery. I will be completing in the final talking about ‘1984’.” Harman [10W]

"I enjoyed all the speeches, they were all unique and inspiring. Aparna's was amazing, her hand gestures and questions to the audience made the speech feel personal and as if she were personally speaking to us and she made great points on immigrant parents. Manmeet's speech was really personal and emotional, she was so brave for telling us her story about her father's death due to medical negligence, and it was so inspiring to hear her talk about it with such bravery and spreading awareness. All the speeches were fantastic and they were really inspiring and thought-provoking." Raveena [10Y]