Sixth Formers Daisy Watson (12Wilson) and Ellie Roberts (13Wilson) were successful in progressing to the next round of the ESU Schools' Mace debating competition on Tuesday 26th November.
The Schools' Mace is a national debating competition for students from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 5. It is the oldest and largest debating competition for schools in England and it empowers students to persuade, influence and inspire others. Held at The Portsmouth Grammar School, the first round featured teams from five schools, debating topics ranging from making voting mandatory to the abolition of trial by jury. The Bishop Luffa team was sent through to the second round along with two other teams.
Daisy and Ellie were opposing the motion 'This house would limit passengers to one return flight per year', up against an accomplished team from PGS. They were competing against three fee-paying schools and St Philip Howard Catholic High School. We await the details of the second round.
Year 9 students Tess Langford (9Wilson), Holly Bentley (9Wilson), and Iona Hamilton (9Story) won the first round of the Rotary Youth Debate competition on Monday 18th November at Chichester Assembly Rooms.
The girls spoke on the motion ‘This house would ban aeroplane travel’. All three of them demonstrated a flair for public speaking and won over the audience with their persuasive speeches and manner. Iona answered a question about the issue of freight and whether under her proposed motion there would be a ban on aeroplanes carrying cargo.
The team collected certificates and book vouchers from the Mayor of Chichester. Bishop Luffa progresses to the District Final.
Mr S Finniear, Teacher of English