Lowering voting age and free public transport amongst issues tackled by students

Lowering the voting age to 12, free public transport for all, censoring the internet and capping footballer’s salaries were just some of the difficult questions that were tackled by students from across the borough as they competed to become the borough’s debating champions.

The annual Hounslow Schools Debating Championship saw more than 70 pupils from years 7 to 10 fiercely debating the issues at the St Giles Hotel in Feltham, on Wednesday 23 May.

The students competed in teams of three against their peers from other schools in the same year group. Ten of the boroughs schools made it to the finals, to compete for the title of Hounslow Schools debating champion, and the opportunity to represent Hounslow at the London Debate Challenge.

Prizes were awarded to the winning teams in each year group, and to the two outstanding individual speakers, by Judith Pettersen, Director of Children’s Services at Hounslow Council. She said, “I was delighted with the high standard of the arguments I heard, and there were one or two that made me change my opinion on the issue given what I’d heard. By taking part in debates, pupils get the opportunity to improve important skills such as research, critical thinking and how to organise and structure arguments."

The Year 10 winning team from The Heathland School will represent Hounslow at the London Debate Challenge finals, run by the English Speaking Union on Tuesday 26 June at Kings College, London.

Winners and outstanding individual speaker awards included :

Outstanding Individual Speaker - Gunnersbury Catholic School's Max Falkenberg-McGillivray and Jack Bradley, Gumley House R.C. Convent School's Helen Young, Catherine Taylor and Roisin Kieley-Swords and Brentford School for Girls' Amira Wahid.

May 29, 2007