Congratulations to sixth form student Beatrice who competed in the Nihongo Cup Japanese Speech Contest at the Nissan Institute, University of Oxford. The prestigious competition is open to secondary school students in the UK and included speeches from Eiji Taguchi, Director General of the Japan Foundation London and Professor Sho Konishi, Director of the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, who welcomed everyone to the spectacular Nissan Institute building within St Anthony's College, Oxford. Key Stage 3 students spoke on the theme of My Ideal Town whereas Key Stage 4 and 5, who were divided into pre-GCSE and post-GCSE categories, were free to choose their own themes. Beatrice's chosen theme was 'How do national emblems embody societal values?' covering both Japan and France. It was a great honour to be one of six finalists in such a highly respected national competition and provided further inspiration for all the language enthusiasts taking part.