Public speaking competition
Aspire2 holds an annual Public Speaking Competition across all Whitley schools to give children of all ages an opportunity to find their voice, and to develop confidence and oracy skills that will support them to be happy, successful adults.
The process of the competition is simple. Schools in Whitley hold their own competitions and the winners of each school are presented with the opportunity to take part in the Grand Final at the University of Reading!
Public speaking competition 2026
On Thursday the 26th of February 2026, we will be hosing our Public Speaking Competition at the University of Reading.
Watch this space for an update and photos from the event and good luck to everyone who takes part!
Public speaking competition 2025
On 27th February, we were proud to host our Public Speaking Competition at the University of Reading, bringing together 29 talented entrants from local schools in Whitley. Their confidence, creativity, and powerful voices truly inspired us all.
A huge thank you to our fantastic panel of judges: Yuan Yang – Labour MP for Whitley, Jackie Wilcocks – Brighter Futures for Children and Martin Salter – Former Labour MP.
We are so proud of every young speaker who took to the stage, sharing their thoughts with passion and courage.
Public speaking competition 2024
Once again, the young people of South Reading shone, as those who reached the final of the annual Aspire2 Public Speaking competition gave their speeches to a large crowd assembled in one of the lecture halls at Reading University on Tuesday 27th February.
It started with a KS1 student who gave an impressively confident speech outlining what she would do if she was in charge. This was followed by the finalists in upper and lower KS2 declaring what they would do if they were Prime Minister. The students were all full of charisma and confidence as they outlined the issues that were important to them and how they would address them. How refreshing it was to hear the passion and conviction in their voices and the extent to which they had thought through each of their policies.
Later in the evening the finalists from KS3 and KS4 arrived. The judges were struck by the care they had taken to structure their speeches. They were able to grab the attention of their audience with a clear and entertaining introduction followed up by carefully considered arguments which were often backed up with evidence and statistics. Issues such as how to save the planet, the cost of living crisis, the state of the NHS, immigration and equality were all covered with considerable care and expertise. As many of the audience said – if only these young people were in charge!
This event gets better every year with so many Whitley pupils and students taking part and being so well supported by their parents, carers and teachers.
