2011 Debating Matters Competition winners

From left to right in picture above: Daniel Keeley, Matthew Oldham, Jonathan Mitchell, teacher Clare Boughey and Matthew Handley

St. Francis Xavier’s (SFX), a comprehensive school and sixth form college from Liverpool, have won the National Final of the Institute of Ideas Debating Matters Competition 2010/11, which took place over three days at the Royal Society of Medicine in London, from 1-3 July. The team won all three of their debates over the weekend, and the team impressed judges with their in-depth research and strong, committed lines of argument. Speaking after judging the winners in the final debate, renowned writer Anthony Horowitz said of the team:

“Judging was an intense and thoroughly fascinating experience. I came to the event expecting to be out-smarted by the other judges, but to find that the students were cleverer than us was a shock! The teams were wonderful and I was blown away by their arguments.”

Other top-name judges at the final included: businessman and chair of the Royal Society of Arts Luke Johnson; film and documentary director Beeban Kidron; Gill Penlington from CNN; and Professor Raymond Tallis amongst many others.

During the course of the weekend the eight competing teams grappled with a wide range of contemporary debates, including the provision of IVF for older women and whether prisoners should have the vote. In the first semi-final debate on the Wikileaks controversy, former National Final champions Durham Johnston Comprehensive School put up a hard fight against the St. Francis team, with judges declaring that that had only narrowly lost-out to the eventual champions; in the second semi-final debate on smart drugs newcomers Dalriada School from Northern Ireland beat Uppingham School.

Tension then mounted for the final debate on the French burqa ban, which was lively and heated, and not just from the debate teams! The audience who engaged passionately and fiercely with the two teams. St. Francis, arguing in support of the ban, were under enormous pressure from the audience questions, but held their nerve and commitment to their position throughout.

In the spirit of the competition, and reflecting the way that all schools engaged across the weekend, teacher Rob Johnson of Durham Johnston Comprehensive School said of the competition:

“Debating Matters is intellectually stimulating and the students are looking at issues they had not thought about or considered before. This competition literally opens up new worlds to the students. We have had a fantastic time”

Speaking after judging the a semi-final debate, judge and children’s writer K A S Quinn said:

“One of the great failures in life is not finding your own voice. It is one of the most important things in the world to be have a well thought-through opinion and then to be able to articulate it forcefully. This is the essence of what Debating Matters is all about – recognising and developing young people’s capacity to find and nurture their voice.”

Across the three day final teams not only spoke in their hard-fought debates, but also made some excellent contributions during the numerous extra-curricular activities that were organised across the National Final weekend, including a Bookshop Barnie with Ed Howker, Spectator magazine journalist and author of ‘Jilted Generation: How Britain Has Bankrupted Its Youth’ and at the Institute of Ideas ‘Question Time’ debate where students interrogated a distinguished panel on bis issues of the day, which included leading British economist Ruth Lea; BBC Foreign Correspondent Humphrey Hawksley; Dr Evan Harris, Vice President of the British Humanist Association and former Liberal Democract MP; and novelist, cultural critic and broadcaster, Diran Adebayo.

Teams and individuals also received some fantastic prizes from our sponsors, including £4000 worth of books and educational resources from Hodder Education for the winners, runners-up and semi-finalists, tickets to the ENO autumn season, Encyclopaedia Britannica atlases, boxed sets of the OUP’s acclaimed ‘A Very Short Instroduction’ series and Foyles bookshop gift cards amongst other things. The winning team were also presented with limited edition ‘Champions Hoddies’ and a glass trophy to take back to their school, most importantly they won an all-expenses paid trip to London to take part in this years’ Battle of Ideas festival, where they will take on the champions of the all-India Debating Matters Competition.

The Debating Matters team would like to thank all the judges and speakers who helped to make the weekend so challenging and stimulating for the students who attended, but most importantly we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our sponsors and supporters for their commitment and belief in the Debating Matters Competition. Thanks to: Pfizer, Wellcome Trust, Hodder Education, Canterbury Christ Church Univeristy,Carillion Energy Services, Economic and Social Research Council, and the Medical Research Council.

Winners: St. Francis Xavier’s College, Liverpool

Runners up: Dalraida School, Ballymoney

Semi finalist 1: Durham Johnston Comprehensive School, Durham

Semi finalist 2: Uppingham School, Oakham

Individual Prizes:

Best Individual: Matthew Handley, St Francis Xavier College
Highly Commended: Fiona Miller, Godalming College
Commended: Louis Cowling, Durham Johnston Comprehensive School

Gina Owens Memorial Prize: Shaan Tehal, Godalming College, Surrey

Honourable Mentions: George Butcher, Durham Johnston Comprehensive School; Leo Evans, Dalriada School; Matt Gowshall, The Ridgeway School; Christy Gregg, Dalriada School; Katie Heard, Uppingham School; Daniel Keeley, St Francis Xavier’s College; Tim McConnell, Chilwell School; Chloe Peirce, The Ridgeway School; Scott Pepe, Godalming College.