St John’s Primary School in Midsomer Norton have won this year’s annual Youth Speaks competition.
The competition has been running for over twenty-five years and is organised by the Midsomer Norton and Radstock Rotary Club. The event sees teams of three primary school children present on a subject of their choice and then answer questions from the audience. It is a test of public speaking skills and confidence.
John Padfield has been organising the event for years. He says: “It’s always been very popular with schools. I think it is wonderful for young people to speak in public with such confidence.
Rob Porter is this year’s club President: “We did not have opportunities like this when I was at school. It is great for character development and an honour to hear what the young people have to say.”
Youth Speaks was hosted by St Benedict’s Primary School, Midsomer Norton. Teams also came from St John’s, Midsomer Norton, St John’s in Peasedown and St Vigor and St John in Chilcompton. All the subjects were chosen by the students and included some contemporary debates, such as whether SATS should be abolished and do children spend too much time on their devices. The judges spoke of the exceptional quality of the speakers, but felt the St John’s choice of why Roman civilization endured for so long had the edge this year.
Alex Rowe, John and Carys Yeomans told Somer Valley FM: “We really love history and knew our subject well. We would like to thank the Rotary Club, as it has been an honour to speak here today.”
Lauren David is the senior curriculum leader for St John’s: “I could not be more delighted, as I know how hard they have worked for this. It is so important, given how competitive the world is, and these skills will be invaluable in the future, whatever they choose to do. They are talented children, but it is brilliant that they have had the opportunity to show what they can do in public. It will open up other doors for them down the road and they are on the stepping stones to achievement.”
To hear the interviews in full, go to: www.soundcloud.com/somervalleyfm