Yesterday, myself and Miss McArdle had the privilege of taking a number of our Year 8 and Year 9 students on a trip to Liverpool John Moores Univesity to take part in the Debate Mate Cup. 

Our students have competed against other Liverpool schools twice thus far this year in both rounds of the Urban Debate League, but this was without a doubt the biggest test of their ability as debaters as they were tasked with engaging in complex and difficult topics of discussion - considering tougher punishments for celebrities, the impact of social media on budding musicians and the discussion surrounding a four-day working week.

Our students carried and conducted themselves excellently and were a credit to themselves, their parents, us and our school. They took constructive feedback from external mentors incredibly positively and were brilliantly reflective throughout. When our students were unsuccessful in winning debates themselves, they held their own, showed great spirit and congratulated other students. 

For a number of our participating pupils, this was the first time they had competed in debates against students from other schools, but this inexperience did not show. Our returning Year 9 students, seasoned veterans at this stage, showed their experience and quality throughout and were excellent in each of the three debates they took part in.

Mr Beville