Youngsters at a Teignmouth primary school have impressed judges with their oratory skills in a recent public speaking competition.

Pupils from Our Lady and St Patrick (OLSP) Roman Catholic Primary School and Nursery delivered thoughtful and well-researched presentations on a variety of subjects for the Junior Speaks competition organised by the Rotary Club of Teignmouth

The competition, which was held at the school on Wednesday (June 18) was compered by Teignmouth Rotarian Mike Keith and judged by the club president Colin Barber along with Teignmouth Rotary Club members Doug Battam, Mike Moult and Keith Robinson.

Speeches covered a wide range of topics including the school itself, singing, animals, skiing and even the importance of sound, The judges scored the children on their presentation, content, confidence and delivery.

Grace Seager won the Year 5-6 age-group with her speech about biscuits and Marylou Hancock was runner up in the group with a talk about ‘how to survive siblings’.

In the Year 3-4 age group, Raffy Wooding’s lecture on elements of the periodic table won him first place with Max Saw achieving the runner-up prize with his discussion of sports.

‘Standing in front of a room full of strangers and encouraging them to listen to what you have to say in no easy task,’ the judges commented as they praised the confidence and bravery of the participants. ‘These children have all done remarkably and should be very proud.’

Everybody who took part in the competition received a certificate in recognition of their hard work.

The Rotary Club hopes to continue encouraging young voices through its much-loved annual Junior Speaks event, which is held at several local primary schools and is a modified version of the national ‘Youth Speaks’ Rotary competition.