School debating in Scotland
Encyclopedia
School Debating in Scotland is a competitive activity taken up on an extracurricular basis by many school
s across the country. Teams of two or three compete in several competitions and schools debate
rs may be selected for Scotland
in the World Schools Debating Championships
.
Scotland were the 2007 World Champions, having won the World Schools Debating Championships
, and have reached the out rounds in both of the competitions since. Comprehensive debating resources for Scottish schools debaters and their coaches were written by the English-Speaking Union Scotland
last year and can be found at Learning & Teaching Scotland.
This competition, organised by the Law Society of Scotland
, is a Scottish schools debating competition. The tournament is currently sponsored by the Glasgow Bar Association and Simpson and Warwick Solicitors. The 2007 final was won by Craigmount High School
of Edinburgh and chaired by Nicola Sturgeon
MSP
. The High School of Dundee
finished second. The 2008 final was won by Joanna Farmer and Michael Sim of Robert Gordon's College
, and the High School of Dundee again finished second. In 2009, Allen Farrington and Cosmo Grant, from The Glasgow Academy won the trophy.
. The competition is in extended BP format, with three teams on each side rather than the more usual two, and is run on a knock-out basis, with 72 original teams being reduced to six finalists over the course of preparation rounds.There are many school s competing for the grand prize, from all over Scotland. The Grand Final is run, with the help of the University of St Andrews
Union Debating Society, in Lower Parliament Hall, St Andrews, with the winners receiving a trip to America, and the runners-up a break in London. In the 2002 Grand Final, the Judges deemed that the quality of debate was so high that all competing teams were given honorary membership of University of St Andrews Union Debating Society.
Winners of the 2006/2007 competition were Shona Young and Kirsty Paterson-Hunter of Kinross High School
, who spoke in opposition to the motion that 'This House Would ban non-reconstructive cosmetic surgery' winning on a unanimous vote. Runners-up were Marianne Inglis and Catherine Lovegrove from Morrison's Academy
who argued for the motion.
Winners of the 2007/2008 competition were Emma Robertson and Ruth Thomson of Morrison's Academy, Crieff. The motion was "This House would ban Gambling" and the team successfully opposed the motion and won an all expenses paid trip to America. Among the finalists were a team from Robert Gordon's, two Morrison's teams, and a team from St John's.
For the 2009-'10 season, the competition will not run and its future looks to be in turmoil since the main sponsor (CIOBS) pulled out. There is however a new competition which has been formed to replace it, run with the support of GSK it will start in the spring of 2010. The new competition, the East of Scotland Debater, has since started. Regional heats have taken place and the final will be held on the 4th June in St Andrew's University Parliamentary Hall. Finalists are Robert Gordon's College, Morrison's Academy, High School of Dundee and Forfar Academy.
. The 2006/7 competition received 113 entries. The competition is in BP format, with four teams of two competing in the debate.
The 2007 grand final took place in the National Galleries of Scotland
. The winners were Georgina Barker and Hannah Mackaness of George Heriot's School
. The other finalists were Emma Robertson and Catherine Lovegrove of Morrison's Academy who were the runners-up and also St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School
and Dumfries Academy
.
Forty teams from all over Scotland and northern England competed debating four motions: "This House would use torture in the interrogation of terror suspects"; "This House would make gaelic compulsory in schools"; and "This House would make foreign aid conditional on the promotion of women's rights"; "This house would impose harsher sentences on celebrity criminals".
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s across the country. Teams of two or three compete in several competitions and schools debate
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
rs may be selected for Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in the World Schools Debating Championships
World Schools Debating Championships
The World Schools Debating Championships is an annual English-language debating tournament for high school-level teams representing different countries.In recent years, the championships have involved teams from over 40 nations each year.-History:...
.
Scotland were the 2007 World Champions, having won the World Schools Debating Championships
World Schools Debating Championships
The World Schools Debating Championships is an annual English-language debating tournament for high school-level teams representing different countries.In recent years, the championships have involved teams from over 40 nations each year.-History:...
, and have reached the out rounds in both of the competitions since. Comprehensive debating resources for Scottish schools debaters and their coaches were written by the English-Speaking Union Scotland
English-Speaking Union Scotland
The English-Speaking Union Scotland is an educational Scottish charity whose purpose, shared with the English-Speaking Union internationally, is to promote international understanding and human achievements through the widening use of the English language throughout the world.ESU Scotland is based...
last year and can be found at Learning & Teaching Scotland.
The Law Society Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament
The Donald Dewar Memorial Debating TournamentThe Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament
""The Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament"" is a national debating competition held throughout the year in Scottish Secondary Schools. It is one of the leading debating tournaments in Scotland and is organised annually by the Law Society of Scotland. It was created in 1999 and was held in...
This competition, organised by the Law Society of Scotland
Law Society of Scotland
The Law Society of Scotland is the professional governing body for Scottish solicitors.It promotes excellence among solicitors through representation, support and regulation of its members. It also promotes the interests of the public in relation to the profession...
, is a Scottish schools debating competition. The tournament is currently sponsored by the Glasgow Bar Association and Simpson and Warwick Solicitors. The 2007 final was won by Craigmount High School
Craigmount High School
For the former private school see Craigmount School.Craigmount High School is a non-denominational secondary school in Edinburgh, Scotland with 1400 pupils located in the west of Edinburgh, Scotland. It moved into new premises at the beginning of the 2003 academic year. The current headteacher is Dr...
of Edinburgh and chaired by Nicola Sturgeon
Nicola Sturgeon
Nicola Sturgeon is the Deputy First Minister of Scotland, Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy, Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party and Member for Glasgow Southside....
MSP
Member of the Scottish Parliament
Member of the Scottish Parliament is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament.-Methods of Election:MSPs are elected in one of two ways:...
. The High School of Dundee
High School of Dundee
The High School of Dundee is an independent, co-educational, day school in the city of Dundee, Scotland which provides both primary and secondary education to just over one thousand pupils...
finished second. The 2008 final was won by Joanna Farmer and Michael Sim of Robert Gordon's College
Robert Gordon's College
Robert Gordon's College is a private co-educational day school in Aberdeen, Scotland. The school caters for pupils from Nursery-S6.-History:...
, and the High School of Dundee again finished second. In 2009, Allen Farrington and Cosmo Grant, from The Glasgow Academy won the trophy.
The Courier and Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland Schools Junior Debating Competition
This competition is organised by the Courier newspaper, and is open to Junior school debaters in the area covered by the newspaper. It is sponsored by the Chartered Institute of Bankers in ScotlandChartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland
The Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland , which is now known as the Chartered Banker Institute, was established in 1875 and is the oldest banking institute in the world and the only remaining banking institute in the UK. It aims to help rebuild public confidence in banks and banking by...
. The competition is in extended BP format, with three teams on each side rather than the more usual two, and is run on a knock-out basis, with 72 original teams being reduced to six finalists over the course of preparation rounds.There are many school s competing for the grand prize, from all over Scotland. The Grand Final is run, with the help of the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
Union Debating Society, in Lower Parliament Hall, St Andrews, with the winners receiving a trip to America, and the runners-up a break in London. In the 2002 Grand Final, the Judges deemed that the quality of debate was so high that all competing teams were given honorary membership of University of St Andrews Union Debating Society.
Winners of the 2006/2007 competition were Shona Young and Kirsty Paterson-Hunter of Kinross High School
Kinross High School
Kinross High School is a state school in Kinross, Scotland. It is located adjacent to the leisure centre, and is part of Loch Leven Community Campus. Currently the school has about 1107 pupils enrolled...
, who spoke in opposition to the motion that 'This House Would ban non-reconstructive cosmetic surgery' winning on a unanimous vote. Runners-up were Marianne Inglis and Catherine Lovegrove from Morrison's Academy
Morrison's Academy
Morrison's Academy is an independent co-educational school in Crieff, Scotland, which provides nursery, primary and secondary school facilities. All who attend are day pupils and it draws many pupils from surrounding Perth and Kinross and Stirling....
who argued for the motion.
Winners of the 2007/2008 competition were Emma Robertson and Ruth Thomson of Morrison's Academy, Crieff. The motion was "This House would ban Gambling" and the team successfully opposed the motion and won an all expenses paid trip to America. Among the finalists were a team from Robert Gordon's, two Morrison's teams, and a team from St John's.
For the 2009-'10 season, the competition will not run and its future looks to be in turmoil since the main sponsor (CIOBS) pulled out. There is however a new competition which has been formed to replace it, run with the support of GSK it will start in the spring of 2010. The new competition, the East of Scotland Debater, has since started. Regional heats have taken place and the final will be held on the 4th June in St Andrew's University Parliamentary Hall. Finalists are Robert Gordon's College, Morrison's Academy, High School of Dundee and Forfar Academy.
The ESU Scotland Juniors Competition
The largest competition in Scotland for S1-S3 debaters and is run by English-Speaking Union ScotlandEnglish-Speaking Union Scotland
The English-Speaking Union Scotland is an educational Scottish charity whose purpose, shared with the English-Speaking Union internationally, is to promote international understanding and human achievements through the widening use of the English language throughout the world.ESU Scotland is based...
. The 2006/7 competition received 113 entries. The competition is in BP format, with four teams of two competing in the debate.
The 2007 grand final took place in the National Galleries of Scotland
National Galleries of Scotland
The National Galleries of Scotland are the five national galleries of Scotland and two partner galleries. It is one of the country's National Collections.-List of national galleries:* The National Gallery of Scotland* The Royal Scottish Academy Building...
. The winners were Georgina Barker and Hannah Mackaness of George Heriot's School
George Heriot's School
George Heriot's School is an independent primary and secondary school on Lauriston Place in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, with around 1600 pupils, 155 teaching staff and 80 non-teaching staff. It was established in 1628 as George Heriot's Hospital, by bequest of the royal goldsmith George...
. The other finalists were Emma Robertson and Catherine Lovegrove of Morrison's Academy who were the runners-up and also St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School
St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School
St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School may refer to:In Canada:*St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School , Brampton, Ontario*St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School , Lindsay, Ontario...
and Dumfries Academy
Dumfries Academy
Dumfries Academy is one of four secondary schools in the town of Dumfries in South West Scotland.-History:Dumfries Academy has existed in its present form, though not in the buildings it currently occupies, since 1804...
.
Glasgow University Union Schools Debating competition
This years tournament was held on Monday 1 November and the winners were Callum Worsley and Ruth Cameron (1st proposition) of Dollar Academy "A". The other finalists included Dollar Academy "C" (Thomas Clode and Anna George) and George Heriot's "A". They debated the motion "This House would legalise gay marriage."Forty teams from all over Scotland and northern England competed debating four motions: "This House would use torture in the interrogation of terror suspects"; "This House would make gaelic compulsory in schools"; and "This House would make foreign aid conditional on the promotion of women's rights"; "This house would impose harsher sentences on celebrity criminals".
Other Tournaments
- ESU Mace - a competition open to schools throughout Britain
- The Glasgow University UnionGlasgow University UnionGlasgow University Union is one of the largest and oldest students' unions in the UK, serving students and alumni of the University of Glasgow since 1885....
Schools' Debating Tournament - The University of DundeeUniversity of DundeeThe University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere....
Schools' Competition - The University of St Andrews Senior Schools' Debating Competition.
- Aberdeen University Debater Schools' Competition
- Edinburgh University Schools' Competition