This week witnessed the long-anticipated return of the Darbyshire Debating Competition. The Lower Sixth heats took place on Tuesday morning, and on Thursday, it was the turn of the Upper Fourth pupils to compete in the heats of the Junior Competition.
Lower Sixth Heats
Each House participated across four concurrent debates, disputing issues ranging from the value of a meat-free diet to the importance of the arts in the twenty-first century. The debates attracted large audiences of pupils and staff, who were treated to high-quality and combative debating. The judges selected eight Houses to qualify for next week’s semi-finals:
- Carr
- Crawfurd
- Forest
- Propert
- Raven
- Robinson
- Rosebery
- White
Upper Fourth Heats
On Thursday, it was the turn of the Upper Fourth pupils to compete in the heats of the Junior Competition, debating motions such as ‘This house would ban all use of plastic’ and ‘This house believes that video games warp people’s perception of reality’.
For many pupils, this was their first appearance in a formal public debate, and each house performed admirably in front of their peers.
