On Thursday 20 March, the final round of the Inter-House
Debating Competition was held. The event took place in the John Turner
Building, with parents, fellow students and staff out in force to support the teams from Gilson, Skipwith Eggar, Burr and Orchard.
Topics for debate have so far been varied and contemporary;
the houses have argued for and against motions including government
surveillance being nothing to worry about, that people with mansions should be
taxed more, and that all employers should have to pay a living wage. The final
round of debating saw houses debate motions on private sector involvement in
the NHS, and military action against ISIS; difficult issues that the teams
handled with great maturity.
Judging the competition was Headmaster Mr Gregg Davies, Mr
Nick Brown and Mr Ian Munro. Thoroughly impressed by the speeches made both in
proposition and opposition of the motions, the judges found their task challenging!
Gilson defeated Skipwith Eggar, successfully opposing the
intervention on the ground against ISIS. The opposition won again in the second
debate, with Burr House defeating Orchard’s advocacy of increased private
sector involvement with the NHS in a lively exchange.
Having scored the most points in each round, Burr House won the
inaugural Inter-House Debating competition with 86.3 points. The trophy was presented by Mr Tristan Elby. It was a narrow second place for Orchard Lapping, who scored 85.6. Gilson House were placed third of eight in the overall competition and Skipwith Eggar
fourth.
Mr Elby commented that ‘the speeches showed excellent
knowledge of current affairs combined with strong public speaking skills; a
real testament to the commitment of the students involved to honing their
debating skills.’
To see more photos from the event, please click here.