Posted on: 19/08/2025
Posted on: July 2nd 2025
Oracy Symposium Success
On 12 May, Year 9 students, Isabel and Ebinemi from 9EG, represented Highworth at the regional heats of the Grammar School Oracy Symposium at Simon Langton Girls' Grammar School. The students delivered persuasive speeches on issues which mattered to them: Isabel discussed the complexities of online echo chambers, exploring their pitfalls and how to avoid them and Ebinemi reflected on issues surrounding social media and body image. In a highly competitive heat of 16 students (two from each school), only five advanced to the finals. Impressively, both Isabel and Ebinemi were selected as finalists, making Highworth the only school with two regional winners.
The final competition took place on Wednesday 2 July, at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School. Both students once again made Highworth proud, delivering their speeches confidently and responding thoughtfully to questions from a panel of judges. We are thrilled to share that Isabel was awarded first place overall, beating over 15 other finalists from grammar schools across the county. The judges praised the depth and sophistication of her chosen topic and were particularly impressed by the insight and clarity with which she answered their questions.
