Wokingham Schools’ Debating Competition

The first round of the annual Wokingham Schools’ Debating Competition kicks off this Thursday the 9th October at the Emmbrook School, as the Holt School compete against Luckley Oakfield and Bearwood College go up against Emmbrook. The second round will be on Thursday the 16th October at the Willink School, where Maiden Erlegh, St. Crispin’s and the Willink will compete to go through to the next round. The two winners of each of these rounds will progress through to the semi-finals at Wokingham Town Hall on Thursday the 20th November, and the final will be chaired by John Redwood at Wokingham Town Hall on Friday the 28th November.

John Redwood has been organising the annual debating competition for several years. Last year the competition was won by the Emmbrook School and Luckley Oakfield. All participants receive certificates and prizes from the House of Commons with the winning school receiving the “John Redwood Cup” for debating. The four finalists and their teachers spend a day in London at the House of Commons, which includes lunch with John Redwood and a tour of the Palace of Westminster, followed by a chance to watch Parliament in action. The John Redwood Cup is engraved with the winners’ names and presented to the school for the year. The winning school also receives an overhead projector donated courtesy of 3M.

Speaking about the competition, John Redwood said: “The Wokingham Schools’ Debating Competition gives young people a chance to engage with the issues of the day and gain experience in public speaking and defending their arguments in front of an audience. I hope many people will come along to hear the debates and support the participants. The competitions are lively, fun and informative, and have been well attended in the past”.

Notes for editors:

The first round of the debating competition will take place at the Emmbrook School on Thursday the 9th October at 7pm. The timetable of the debates is as follows:

The Holt School vs. Luckley Oakfield

This House believes government can cure fuel poverty

Bearwood College vs. Emmbrook

This House believes exams get in the way of education

Luckley Oakfield vs. Holt

This House believes government can make housing affordable

Emmbrook vs. Bearwood College

This House believes A-Levels are too easy

The second round will take place at the Willink School on Thursday the 16th October at 7pm. The timetable for the debates is as follows:

Willink vs. Maiden Erlegh

This House believes government can cure fuel poverty

St. Crispin’s vs. Willink

This House believes exams get in the way of education

Maiden Erlegh vs. St. Crispin’s

This House believes government can make housing affordable

The semi-final will be held at Wokingham Town Hall on Thursday the 20th November, and the final will be held at the same location on Friday the 28th November. John Redwood will act as Chairman for the semi-final and final. The motions for these rounds will be released closer to the time.

The judges for the first two rounds are as follows:

Rebecca Johnson of the Wokingham and Bracknell News
Cllr. Beth Rowland
Cllr. Annette Drake

The judges for the semi-final and final rounds are as follows:

Sally Bryant of the Wokingham Times
Ian Graham of Clifton Ingram
Donald MacDonald of the Royal Bank of Scotland

The sponsors of this year’s competition are as follows:

RBS
Classicstone Properties
Mr Bill Clark
Clifton Ingram
3M
Ticheners

We would be grateful if you could mention the sponsors in any story as they have been very generous and are the ones who make this competition for the school pupils possible. We would also appreciate media outlets encouraging as many people as possible to attend and support the students. It makes the competition much more fun if they have a good audience.

For more information please contact Carl Thomson on 020 7219 4205 or Christine Hill on 0118 962 9501