The first two weeks of October saw the first three contests in the East Region Sixth Form Public Speaking Competition 2021. Conducted online throughout and featuring only individual speechmakers, each of the first round events is contested among members of a particular school. Adjudicators, including representatives of the newly-formed Young Members’ Forum, selected two speakers from each of the The Perse School, Cambridge, St Benedict’s Catholic School, Bury St Edmunds, and Colchester County High School for Girls to progress in the competition. Topics have included such diverse areas as the monarchy, misogyny, Covid vaccination and maternity care. In addition, Felsted School and Chelmer Valley High School have fielded speakers, who will feature in the next round. Three more first round events are due in November.
