International Student Voice Bath 2025

This week we had the pleasure of hosting this year’s International Student Voice Competition, an annual event shared on rotation between ourselves, Kingswood, Monkton, Prior Park, and Stonar. It was a fantastic evening that brought together EAL students from across the five schools, each one ready to showcase their confidence, creativity and multilingual talent.

Every school entered three speakers who delivered original three-minute speeches and then responded to two audience questions. The standard was outstanding. We heard a remarkable variety of topics, from thoughtful reflections on the rise of fascism, to the light-hearted mystery of disappearing socks. The atmosphere throughout the evening was warm, supportive and full of admiration for students presenting in a second or even third language.

One highlight of the night was the exceptional performance of Mariana in Year 7. She was the youngest competitor but delivered a confident, passionate and captivating speech on "The Value of Dogs" that won the audience and judges alike, scooping first price in the Junior category. Mariana followed this up by delivering this speech to our Head, Ms Boyes and our school dog Mr Talisker.

Jolina in Year 11 impressed with a witty, well researched and thoroughly entertaining talk exploring why we use filler words. Also in the Senior category, Melisa in Year 12 was awarded third place for her thoughtful, amusing speech on lessons learned from living in three languages, first shared at the International Gala last week.

Our student helpers did a fantastic job of supporting the event throughout the evening. They assisted visitors, managed practical tasks and contributed to the smooth running of the competition. Overall, it was a well-attended and successful event that brought international students from across Bath together to share their ideas and celebrate their developing skills in English. 

Congratulations to all who took part. I look forward to next year’s competition!