On Saturday 10th November seven KEHS pupils took part in the Birmingham Schools Debating competition at the University of Birmingham. Each pair had to participate in four debates against teams from as far away as Cardiff and Berkshire. Due to illness, a University of Birmingham student had to step in as Anushna partner, and was impressed with her skill and confidence. Her team succeeded in winning the debate on the motion, ‘This house believes that social media should only be used by those older than 21 years old’. Hana and Satpreet also came first out of four teams on the motion, ‘This house would respond to an alien’s signal’, despite never having taken part in a debating competition before. Catherine and Osha, also novice debaters, improved a huge amount through the course of the day, Catherine taking the difficult position of Party Whip twice. The final team consisted of Harine and Amirtha, who argued convincingly against the motion, ‘This house supports the trend of recasting traditionally male roles in TV/Film as women’. The opportunity to hear the judges’ positive feedback and constructive criticism, as well as to compete with experienced school debaters from all over the country, helped the girls to learn a lot throughout the day! Well done to all the girls!
The great Easter Debate: a sweet, chaotic showdown
If you were expecting a serious, well-structured debate at this year’s Easter debate, you were in for a surprise. What unfolded was less of a formal argument and more of a theatrical masterpiece – complete with flying chocolate, wild accusations and a speaker who somehow turned it into a human rights campaign for sugar.
