Following their visit to the Imperial War Museum, our cohort of Year 9 students participated in an intensive, full-day workshop led by an exceptional trainer (A.C. Gaskell) from Speakers Trust and facilitated by Ms Senior. The session was expertly designed to help students channel their experiences and reflections from the museum into powerful, articulate speeches on themes of culture and contemporary life.

Throughout the day, students engaged in a dynamic blend of collaborative drama, structured spoken and written activities, live demonstrations, explicit instruction, and carefully scaffolded learning tasks. This multifaceted approach culminated in the production of original speeches — each one a compelling expression of the students’ perspectives, passions, and personal insights.

This workshop not only developed students’ oracy and writing skills but also deepened their engagement with ideas of identity, culture, and social awareness – making it a truly transformative educational experience.

While the standard across the group was impressive, four students stood out for their eloquence, confidence, and depth of thought (Aaron Walsh, Otis Halley, Samir Habibi, Nikolas Kole). These individuals have been selected to progress to the Assembly Final, where they will deliver their speeches to the entire Year 9 cohort. The outcome of this final will determine whose speech is chosen to represent the school in the prestigious Culturally Speaking showcase.