Henry Smith MP has praised local pupils and teachers for their efforts at the inaugural Crawley Inter-School Public Speaking Contest, which took place at the Civic Hall on Thursday (18th November).

Six Crawley secondary schools took part and the contest was won by Thomas Bennett Community College. The Gatwick School and Manor Green College were runners up.

Henry said;

“It was heartening to see such enthusiasm for the contest, where teams spoke for around ten minutes on the subject of ‘Democracy’.

“While this subject was particularly appropriate during Parliament Week, it’s important to ensure young people have continuing engagement with our democratic process, and not just at election time and I was pleased to organise the event.”

Three pupils from each school gave a presentation of around ten minutes on the topic of democracy.

An expert panel of judges were on hand to rate the presentations. Criteria that were being examined included participants’ confidence and enthusiasm, as well as the structure and flow of the speeches. The panel included representatives from the media, business, and academia.

The winning school received a tour of the Houses of Parliament prize by Henry Smith MP, and a tour of the BBC Sussex studios in Brighton. Thomas Bennett will also receive £100 of furniture, kindly donated by Pinnacle Furniture. The runners up will also receive a tour of Parliament.

Henry continued;

“The panel of judges told me afterwards that it was extremely difficult to choose the winner – I’m glad I didn’t have to give the teams their scores! It was a close contest and each student did their school and teachers proud.

“My thanks to the judges for taking the time to be a part of this event, and to Crawley Borough Council for allowing us the use of the venue. Additionally, I’d like to thank Pinnacle Furniture for donating £100 of furniture to the winning school.”

The Crawley Inter-School Public Speaking Contest was arranged by Henry Smith MP to mark Parliament Week, which is designed to help connect people with the UK Parliament, and explore what our democratic system means to them and local communities across the country.