Two schools share top prize in States Assembly oracy competition
States Assembly
25 September 2026
Teams from Victoria College and Haute Vallée School shared the top prize today – Friday 25 September – in the States Assembly's 'Mark My Words' oracy competition by a panel of judges. Jayden Ochieng, a student from Victoria College, was the individual winner for the best speech.Today’s competition final saw 49 Year 8 students from seven schools visit the States Chamber, where they delivered speeches and stood up to questions from their fellow participants. Students gave speeches on the themes of conflict, sustainability, and social responsibility.
Teams from the following secondary schools took part in the competition final:
- Beaulieu
- Grainville
- Haute Vallée
- Jersey College for Girls
- Les Quennevais
- Le Rocquier
- Victoria College
Launched in 2025, the Mark My Words competition is designed to encourage persuasive communication and critical thinking. Participating schools deliver a three-week unit of work focused on public speaking in a political context, using teaching resources created by the States Greffe. Students are tasked with creating a speech of up to three minutes calling for local change. Finalists are selected from each school to take part in the inter-school competition in the States Chamber, where the speeches are delivered and the students engage in questioning with peers from other schools.
Pip Oliver, Education Manager at the States Greffe, said: ‘We created Mark My Words to give Year 8 students the opportunity to build on the oracy skills they developed through the Year 6 primary school initiative 'Speak up, speak out'. It also enhances students’ knowledge and understanding of Jersey’s political system. We're grateful to all the schools who took part in the competition, and particularly to the students who came to the States Chamber today to deliver their speeches, and answer their peers’ questions. Our congratulations go to Jayden as the individual winner and to Victoria College and Haute Vallée School as joint winners, who will share the £500 prize to spend on resources for their school and the Mark My Words Shield.’
Competition judge, Deputy Victoria Li, said: ‘It’s a real privilege to take on the role of competition judge and to hear students’ views shared in this way. It was clear that all participants put in a lot of hard work to research and craft their speeches and this preparation shone through in their confident delivery in the States Chamber. Opposing teams interrogated brilliantly with thoughtful questions which demonstrated their active listening and ability to challenge ideas on the spot. All the participating students should be very proud of their efforts.’
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