Students from eight Kingston secondary schools are in final rehearsals for the local finals of a London-wide public speaking competition, taking place on May 11.
The Speak Out Challenge, organised by the Jack Petchey Foundation, has been training up to 50 year 10 students from each of the borough’s schools, who have selected the best to complete in the Kingston final at Chessington Community College.
Catherine Cassells, a teacher at Coombe Boys’ School, said: “Pupils don’t learn by magic. They require informed training, enthusiasm, and the ability to have a go in an environment they feel secure in. The Jack Petchey Foundation provided our pupils with all the above in full measure.”
Judges will include the mayor of Kingston, Edward Davey, and Jerry Gunn, director of the Rose Theatre.
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