LP’s Speaker’s Corner

As part of their Global Perspectives (GP) course, students at Leighton Park have brought a historic tradition to life at Leighton Park by creating their very own Speaker’s Corner. Inspired by the famous Hyde Park initiative of 1866, which was established to celebrate free expression, the project provides a platform for pupils to voice their views on issues that matter to them.

In line with the GP requirement for each student to take meaningful action with wider community impact, the group wanted to create a space where people could share ideas openly, without fear of judgment. Just as Hyde Park allowed speakers to address spontaneous crowds on topics from politics to religion, the Leighton Park version invites pupils to share reflections on subjects they are passionate about, from pressing global concerns such as gun control and artificial intelligence to whether social media platforms have a responsibility to censor hate speech and if the government should increase taxes to raise funding for the NHS.

To prepare, the group collaborated closely, first brainstorming topics and drafting their speeches, then opening the opportunity to the wider school. Every idea was carefully considered against Quaker values, a central part of school life, to ensure discussions were constructive and respectful. The event also coincided with Quaker Week, allowing our students to fully embrace the values of respect, integrity and equality.

One of the co-ordinators and speakers, Laurie (Year 11) admitted: “It was obviously a bit nerve-wracking because public speaking in general can be a bit scary, but I think once you get into the flow of it it’s fine. Especially because we’ve been doing research for these last few weeks, we all knew what to say and just got some confidence going.”

The project not only provided valuable practice in public speaking but also reinforced the importance of listening to diverse perspectives. With its successful launch, students and GP teacher, Richard Duckett, hope the Speaker’s Corner will continue to thrive as a space for curiosity, dialogue, and thoughtful expression across the school. Richard expressed: “This is quite a unique and different bit of coursework.  Hopefully this is the beginning of something bigger and more regular, so that the whole school community can get involved and voice their opinions and as the students have said, exercise their right to freedom of speech.”