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Success at Prestigious Debating Competition
21 November 2008
On 15th November, three teams of girls from year 11-13 debated at the prestigious University College London Schools Debating competition. The standard was very high, with most of the top London-area schools attending, including members of the current England schools debating team and England development squad. Over the course of the day, each team spoke in four debates in British Parliamentary Style, on very wide-ranging topics: banning ‘happy hours’ in pubs, creating a European Union standing army, recognising the right to dignity in death, and allowing university applicants to turn economic deprivation into UCAS points.
All three teams did brilliantly: Gretel Scott and Ellie Langdale coming 27th out of 48 teams, Kate Headington and Emma Evans coming 23rd and Jennifer Nice and Anna Stansbury coming 5th, missing out on a place in the final by only 9 speaker points (out of roughly 600). It should also be noted that for Gretel, Ellie and Emma, it was their first ever competitive debate so it was an especially creditable performance!
As well as the high placing for all three teams, which has further confirmed DCHS’s reputation as one of the top debating schools in the area, valuable experience against very well-trained teams was gained and should place the team in good stead for the rest of the debating year.
Students at the school who are are interested in debating, should see the Debate Prefect, Kate Headington, for more details.