Moreton Hall student, Simran Sajan, has competed against almost 30,000 applicants to be selected as one of the twelve Young Speakers of the year award.
The national award was presented by ESB Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw, at Liverpool’s waterfront hotel, the Crown Plaza.
During the awards ceremony Simran took to the stage to deliver her Spoken English piece about eating disorders and the introduction of mental health education to school pupils as part of the curriculum, which secured her the award. Simran was commended on her poise and precision.
Head of Spoken English at Moreton Hall, Merriel Halsall-Williams, commented: ‘Simran’s speech was engaging and thought provoking. She continues the legacy of young women from Moreton Hall who have succeeded in these competitive and challenging competitions.’
Simran joined Moreton Hall in year 7 without any prior public speaking experience and described her first ESB exam as ‘a mess’. Throughout her time at the school her self-belief has grown and she contributes the secret behind her growth was ‘talking to a large range of people and slowly building my confidence over time’.
Simran said: ‘Spoken English has helped my confidence and ability to communicate in-front of a wide audience, whilst increasing my range of skills. I couldn’t have done it without the support from Miss Halsall-Williams throughout my ESB journey.’
Annually, thousands of candidates take part in the English Speaking Board (ESB) assessments in the hope of being one of the finalists. For four years Moreton Hall students have been selected for this prestigious achievement.
