A Croydon school pupil has been selected as a young speaker of the year finalist.

Ethan Campbell, aged 11, completed his English Speaking Board assessment whilst in Year 6 at Elmhurst School in South Croydon.

He was selected from almost 30,000 candidates across the UK to attend the Young Speaker of the Year Showcase event in Liverpool in November, alongside 11 other finalists.

At the event, Ethan performed his two-and-a-half-minute talk on “Lego” before collecting his award and certificate.

Ethan said: “It felt really exciting, if a little nerve-racking, to be a part of such an exciting day. The people were so nice and welcoming and made all of us feel very special.

"Once I started my presentation I just relaxed and it all went well. It was good that I’d had so much practice at Elmhurst, not just for my talk, but all the different times we took part in assemblies for parents, plays and poetry evenings. It all helped with my confidence for standing up in front of a crowd of strangers.

Tony Padfield, Head Teacher at Elmhurst School for Boys, said: “Here at Elmhurst we take great pride in identifying, nurturing and celebrating the talents of every boy and our English Speaking Board programme offered to all pupils in Year 6 is a great way to develop confidence and independent learning.

"Ethan should be very proud of his fantastic achievement - congratulations and well done.”