Nikita, Gabrielle and Saanvi (Lower IV) travelled with their parents to Norwich on Sunday 21 April to compete in the National Final of the Rotary: A Debate Youth Speaks competition. The Abbey was one of five schools representing Great Britain and Ireland.

Although we did not come away as winners, I am very proud of our Intermediate Team’s performances throughout the competition. Winning through local, district and regional rounds to make the national final was special for The Abbey and for all the students who took part in the intermediate and senior sections. We have several new trophies in the cabinet, and achieving such excellent results this year will encourage participation in the future.

Saanvi sums up the experience: 

‘Taking part in the Rotary Youth Speaks National Final will always be a great memory for me. There were some great moments like travelling with my team and waiting for the results together. Even if we didn’t get a trophy this time it was still a wonderful experience and I will definitely do it again’.

‘This was a delightful experience, and I’m so glad that the three of us once again got the wonderful opportunity to speak on the stage. Whilst the weekend-long journey was demanding, it was definitely worth it, and I think as a team we did really well. The competition proved to be quite difficult but overall, it was a really fantastic show from all of the teams, and I’m sure all three of us learned a lot’. 

We can now look forward to next year’s public speaking events, but first we have the House Public Speaking competition, Brigstocke, in June. This event is open to teams from Upper III and Lower IV.

Ms Quant