Tonbridge trio debate their way to final of top national contest

Three Tonbridge boys have shown their skills in debating by advancing to the regional final of a prestigious public speaking competition.

A team consisting of James Tam (MH3), George Holder (Sc2) and Pranav Somasundram (HS2) successfully came through the branch final of the English-Speaking Union (ESU) Churchill Public Speaking Competition, which took place on Tuesday 8 February.

Sponsored by the International Churchill Society, and aimed at Years 9 to 11, the contest is the largest public speaking event in England and Wales, with around 400 teams taking part from schools around the UK. Each team has a Speaker, Questioner and Chairperson.

The boys were praised by judges for their insightful questions and responses, confident speeches and engaging presentation techniques.

Sarah Pinto del Rio, Deputy Head of English, who runs both the Junior and Senior Debating Societies at the School, said: “The event was of the highest quality from start to finish, and so our students should be proud of this result. It is the first time that Tonbridge has made it to the third round, and regional final, of this particular competition.

“George was a given special commendation for his natural confidence in the role of Chair, although the team as a whole did exceptionally well. James’ speech on ‘Politicians can no longer afford to ignore young voters’ was a well-structured and persuasively delivered argument, while Pranav asked perceptive and challenging questions to a speaker from another school.”

The regional final takes place at the end of the current term, and later in the year there is an opportunity for those taking part to represent England and Wales at the ESU’s International Public Speaking Competition, competing against students from around the world.

The English-Speaking Union (ESU) logo is pictured.