Crowning achievement: Local learner takes gold in the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition

Five learners from Ninestiles, an Academy, part of the Summit Learning Trust, have been awarded certificates for excellence in writing for their submissions to the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Writing Competition.

Year 7, 8 and 9 at Ninestiles, an Academy were given the chance to participate in the global writing competition and the school submitted 18 responses. Husnain, Ibrahim, Millie and Smah all received Bronze certificates and Maha struck Gold.

The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition (QCEC) is the world’s oldest international writing competition for schools and has been run since 1883 by the Royal Commonwealth Society. The QCEC aims to encourage young people to write for fun, help them develop key literacy skills and increase their academic attainment.

It has been delivered in Her Majesty The Queen's name since 2015, in recognition of Her Late Majesty The Queen's commitment to the Commonwealth and over the last decade alone, over 100,000 young people have entered the competition.

Every year, young people write their essay on a theme that stems from the Commonwealth’s values and principles. This year entrants were asked to consider how they deal with adversity, and how community and culture can be used to encourage resilience and hope in a world with a growing number of global issues. 

At Ninestiles, an Academy, the English curriculum is designed to provide learners with the cultural literacy required to be educationally and socially mobile. Writers and thinkers from all ages and parts of the world are studied and efforts are made to develop learners' reading and writing stamina, and their ability to write with accuracy, precision and clarity.

Alex Hughes, Headteacher at Ninestiles, an Academy said:

“Everyone at Ninestiles is delighted that five of our students have received certificates for their excellent essays. We know that our learners really enjoyed taking part in this thought provoking competition which not only helps to make the voices of today’s youth heard, but also helps them to develop key skills through creative writing.”