Sixth Formers Speak Up
Thomas Rickett from The Sixth Form College, Colchester, wins the ESU East Region Sixth Form Online Public Speaking Competition
Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, marks patronage at Dartmouth House
Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, attended a dinner held in her honour at the English-Speaking Union on Tuesday 9 December 2025, marking the assumption of her role as Patron of the ESU, announced earlier this year.
How to make debating work
Geoff Barton, former English teacher, headteacher and Chair of the Commission on Oracy Education shares his tried-and-tested tips on how to make debating work in your school
‘I can’t tell you what to expect, the SSE is what you make it’
Seren Happs, a recent scholar on our Secondary School Exchange programme, tells us about her experience
A landmark for oracy
Oracy recognised as key skill
This House Believes the UK should legalise the use of gene-edited embryos in pregnancy
Take a look at the opening arguments in one of the debates from the Schools’ Mace finals 2025
‘That week changed how I see the world. We weren’t just sharing speeches, we were exchanging world views’
Saesha Goyal, one of the six finalists at the International Public Speaking Competition 2025, tells us about what she got out of the experience
Could debate dissolve the manosphere?
Louisa Searle, Director of Education at the ESU, explains how oracy can help young people feel more connected and engaged with the wider world
‘Seeing so many young, bright minds find a stage to voice their opinions reminded me of the importance of the ESU at a local, grassroots level’
There is no one-size-fits-all model for the national competitions that feed into the IPSC. Here, we catch up with Malta to find out what drives them, how contests run and the challenges and highlights involved
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