Menu
Back to News ListPreviousNext

Debating Competition at the Houses of Parliament

 

On Friday 15th November St. Clement Danes School took a team to a Debating Competition at the Houses of Parliament. The competition was held in the debating rooms off Westminster Hall where official Parliamentary debates also take place, thus giving us a sense of grandeur but obviously adding to the nerves. The competition was being hosted by Gagan Mohindra MP, MP for the South West Hertfordshire constituency and so we were up against 6 other schools from the area including Parmiters, Merchant Taylor’s and Rickmansworth.

Our first round match was against Rickmansworth and we were taking the Opposition position to ‘This House would make entrepreneurship a school subject’. The debate was close but our team of Jonny, Louie, Lahari and Toby, ably assisted by Lani who analysed the debate and provided ongoing advice and feedback during it, narrowly lost out to the eventual winners, Rickmansworth. Unfortunately this meant that our second team of four, Nikita, Ali, Indy and Toby were unable to debate their ‘Government’ position on ‘This House would introduce a murder classification system like that in the USA’. 

Having stayed to watch the semi-finals we recognised the strengths of good parliamentary debating and the judges were impressed with the students' agility in their debating skills being able to present clear, evidenced arguments but respond to questions and timely interjections.

Whilst we were only able to take 8 students in the team, a special mention and thank you should go to the Year 12s and Year 13s who unsuccessfully tried out for the team but added so much to our preparation in advance. Every member of the team played a crucial role. Congratulations to one and all and better luck next year.

 

Back to News ListPreviousNext

Categories

Category / All Articles

Archives

Also Featured

29th January

Sporting Success: A Season of Triumphs for the PE Faculty

It has been an exceptional start to the year for our sports teams, with pupils across Year 7 and Year 11 delivering outstanding performances on the pitch, the court and the track. Here is a roundup of the latest results from the PE Faculty. Football Successes: The Year 11 Boys football team produced a fantastic display to reach the U16 County Cup Quarter Finals. While all 15 squad members contributed superbly to the team effort, special mention must go to Frankie and Myles, who were named Players of the Match after scoring two spectacular long range strikes. Ollie and Sammy also found the net to complete the scoring. Meanwhile, the Year 7B team showed true grit in wet conditions to secure their second win in the district league against CDS. A great goal from David and a composure-filled penalty from Player of the Match, Zak, secured the victory.  Athletics Achievements: Our Year 7 Athletics teams have seen their dedication pay off after training hard on Thursdays throughout the term. At the TR&W SSP Indoor Athletic Meeting, the Girls’ team took home a brilliant 1st place, while the Boys’ team finished a strong 3rd. We also have a massive individual achievement to celebrate. Theo (Year 7) has been crowned the U13 South of England Shot Put Champion at the Lee Valley Indoor Track. In what was his first-ever indoor competition, Theo smashed his personal best by 50cm. He also showed great pace on the track, reaching the semi-finals of the U13 60m sprint and missing out on the final by a heartbreaking 0.06 seconds. Basketball Season Opener: The basketball season got off to a super start with a thrilling game against Rickmansworth School. In a contest between two evenly matched sides, our team came out on top, led by a fine performance from captain Seth. Congratulations to all pupils for their hard work and sportsmanship!