On Thursday 8th March, four intrepid junior debaters made their way to Stamford to take part in the Junior Inter-Schools Oswald Elliot Debating Competition, generously hosted by Stamford Endowed Schools.
The motion for Oundle's first round debate was 'This house would rather be home schooled', with Polly Brown (K) and Saul Agar Ward (B) proposing the motion, and the Oakham team opposing.
The Oundle team had prepared a strong argument in favour of the idea that home schooling should be the preferred method of teaching for academic and social outliers, high and low achievers, or those who had experienced bullying or social exclusion. Both sides argued well, but Saul and Polly won the round, allowing Oundle's next team to go forward to the final round.
The motion for the final was 'This house would ban social media for under 16s', with Cecily Wells (L) and Thomas Caskey (L) opposing the motion. Stamford were proposing, and put forth a solid argument. However, Cecily and Thomas took the motion with flying colours, arguing that a ban simply wasn't the right solution to the ills caused by social media.
The debate took place in front of an audience of 300 lively Stamford School pupils, who participated from the floor with enthusiasm, and the Oundle team were thrilled to be able to return home with the debating trophy for the second year running.
