Alison McGovern MP offers advice & encouragement to students

The Member of Parliament for Wirral South, Alison McGovern, visited Birkenhead Sixth Form College on Friday to meet senior staff and watch a special performance from our debate team.

The Labour MP represents constituents from Bebington, Bromborough, Heswall and Eastham, and took a chance to familiarise herself with the College as the Wirral’s flagship A Level provider.

Ahead of the district final of the Rotary Club’s ‘Youth Speaks’ public speaking competition, Ms McGovern, who has served as an MP since 2010, was treated to a practice run of our team’s entry, which saw them claim victory in the local heats against other Wirral schools earlier this year.

 “The contributions from all three speakers would stand up in the House of Commons, and could rival any one of my colleagues."

Alison McGovern, MP for South Wirral

First years Brandon Chesworth, Katie Wells and Oliver Hilton delivered a well-researched and charismatic presentation on the ‘Post-Truth’ phenomenon, which Ms McGovern was extremely impressed by and even offered some last-minute advice to the students.

She said: “The contributions from all three speakers would stand up in the House of Commons, and could rival any one of my colleagues. They combined the serious and thoughtful with funny – which is something that not a lot of people can do!”

The MP advised the team of the importance of clear delivery, and drew on her own experiences as she can empathise with having to command a room for speeches and controlling adrenaline.

Ms McGovern then met with Deputy Principal Mike Kilbride to hear more about our recent success stories and learn about the College’s ethos.