The competition brought together 34 talented pupils from 12 of our secondary academies, where pupils had the opportunity to deliver speeches in front of an audience and a panel of judges at the Trust’s Manchester headquarters.

Throughout the day, pupils showcased their passion, creativity and confidence as they presented speeches on a wide range of topics, demonstrating the excellent speaking and listening skills they have developed in their academies.

Before pupils took to the stage, the competition began with a welcome from Marvin Walters, the Director of Secondary English at the Co-op Academy Trust and our panel of judges, which included:

• Lee Hodgson: Account Director at HH Global
• Jo Gilson: Senior Account Manager at HH Global
• Jo Bishop: Performance Data & Reporting Manager - Group Procurement at Co-op
• Rebecca Derbyshire: Group Procurement at Co-op
• Samantha Tweedale: Supplier Engagement Manager at Co-op
• Keela Walsh: Academies Business Partner at Co-op
• Melissa Morris: Relationship Director at Barclaycard Payments

Over the course of the day, pupils delivered their speeches across 4 groups, with each participant receiving peer feedback and encouragement for their efforts.

The judges were impressed by the quality of the speeches, the confidence shown by pupils and the wide variety of topics explored, including speeches on ‘The Dangers of Palm Oil’, ‘Artificial Intelligence’, ‘The Power of Ideologies’ and ‘The Gender Paradox’ to name but a few. There were also numerous Spoken Word Poems and Short Stories, created and performed by our very own talented pupils.

After a fantastic day of presentations, the judges announced this year’s winners:

Overall Winner:

• Freya – Co-op Academy Swinton

Runner-up:

• Ayesha - Co-op Academy Strinesdale

Third Place:

• Alex Joy - Co-op Academy Strinesdale

Additional awards:

• Highly Commended Poem: Maisie - Co-op Academy Manchester
• Best Original Poem: Sophia - Co-op Academy Manchester
• Most Emotional Response 1: Kian - Co-op Academy Failsworth
• Most Emotional Response 2: Riley - Co-op Academy Strinesdale
• Funniest: Azhar Al - Co-op Academy North Manchester
• Best Original Speech 1: Gandhi - Co-op Academy Failsworth
• Best Original Speech 2: Zhana - Co-op Academy Failsworth
• Highly Commended 1: Finn - Co-op Academy Bebington
• Highly Commended 2: Tammy - Co-op Academy Swinton
• Highly Commended 3: Fulfilla - Co-op Academy North Manchester
• Highly Commended 4: Michelle - Co-op Academy Belle Vue

Marvin Walters, Director of English at Co-op Academies Trust, said:

“At Co-op Academies Trust, we are committed to creating opportunities for every pupil to develop their confidence, discover their strengths and have their voice heard.

The Public Speaking Competition is a wonderful example of pupils succeeding together, showing courage and creativity while celebrating the ideas and experiences that make our academies communities so special.”

By providing opportunities like this, we help young people build skills, confidence and self-belief, while encouraging them to be themselves and make a positive difference in the world around them.