The Jack Petchey Foundation was set up by Sir Jack Petchey CBE to inspire and celebrate young people. Since 1999, over £180 million has been invested in programmes to benefit young people aged 11-25 across London and Essex. Jack Petchey's Speak Out Challenge! is the largest speaking competition for young people in the world. It provides essential tools for young people to communicate effectively and with purpose. Every year our Year 10 cohort takes part in an expert led, interactive workshop in school. By the end of the workshop every student will have delivered a speech they have created from scratch to their classmates and a small panel of judges, usually a couple of teachers, who select top-quality speeches. These finalists then move to the Regional Finals; a traditional Regional Final could showcase up to 24 original speeches by young people from across the Borough.

For the third year in a row, a student from Wallington High School for Girls won the Regional Finals! Sophia (12JSR) won in 2024 and this year Senuli (10PAN) won the Sutton Regional Finals; this is an exceptional achievement and a testament to her talent, dedication and confidence. Her speech on the voice of self-doubt was thoughtful, inspiring, and delivered with real impact. We are incredibly proud that two of our students represented our school at the Regional Finals this year – Mishka (10SEA) and Senuli (10PAN). To reach this stage of the competition is a remarkable accomplishment in itself, and both students performed with confidence, passion, and professionalism. A special mention to the MC for the evening who was last year’s winner – Estela (11JOH). She did an incredible job introducing each speaker to the stage.

Once all the Regional Finals have taken place, Jack Petchey will hold the Semi-Final selection day in mid-May where a panel of judges watch the winner videos of all Regional Champions. At the end of the day 15 speakers will have been shortlisted for the Grand Final using the same judging criteria as those used throughout the competition. This year, the Grand Final will be held on 6th July 2026 at the Cambridge Theatre in the heart of London’s West End. 15 Regional/Digital Champions, selected at the Semi Final, will take to the stage to share their speeches in front of an audience of 1000 people.