Students received certificates with detailed feedback from the judges. Tasnim in Year 9 was praised for her ‘delightfully confident and controlled’ performance of ‘The Hag’ by Robert Herrick and for her ‘lively performance’ of ‘Russian Doll’ by Rachel Rooney.

The judges commended Michelle in Year 11 for her ‘beautifully controlled recitation where you captured our attention superbly’ in William Blake’s ‘London’, and they said of her performance of Rita Dove’s ‘Cozy Apologia’ that ‘you inhabit the poem skilfully and have clearly given a lot of thought about how to capture the poem’s emotion and vulnerability.’

Joy in Year 12 impressed the judges with ‘the variety of tone and delivery, which reflects the shifts in the poem very well’ in Wordsworth’s ‘The Solitary Reaper’; of her performance of Mary Jean Chan’s ‘Names’, they wrote: ‘You are clearly able to differentiate and communicate the poem’s multiple voices and perspectives (inner and outer) – the result is captivating.’

Mudra in Year 9 and Usmi in Year 11 were both Highly Commended for their performances, with judges commending Mudra’s ‘enthusiasm and engaged performance’ and Usmi’s ‘compelling interpretation’.

Congratulations to all three students for receiving such glowing feedback in this prestigious national competition.