Isabella and Aoife, the victorious Queenswood Debating Team

Having won through the qualifying round in November, one of our debating teams competed on Thursday 5 February in the regional round of the Cambridge University Debating Competition. Queenswood were actually the hosts for this event and at 4.30pm the best teams from the North of London area gathered in the Ernest Read Hall to await a tense second round. The best teams from Haberdashers Boys School, North London Collegiate, Watford Grammar, Godolphin & Latimer, JFS and Q.E. Boys were ready to fight for a place in the next round.

With only one team in the competition, Queenswood had the odds stacked against us and we were placed in the toughest room with Habs Boys’ ‘A’ team. The first debate saw Aoife Morgan-Jones and Isabella Massam close for Government proposing that ‘squatting be decriminalised’. Aoife in particular gave a superb summing-up as the closing speaker, drawing out clear points of clash in the debate that had gone before. Habs Boys were excellent in this debate and we had to settle for a suspected second place (the results are not revealed until after both debates are over).

The girls were urged to concentrate and ensure that they remained focussed on ‘points of information’ and interjections to ensure they were awarded points. They were also urged not the let the all-male room run over them. The second debate put them into the opening opposition slot, opposing a motion that ‘Parents should be barred from cash donations to their children over the course of their lifetime’. Both girls debated fantastically well. Aoife’s observation that the Proposition had not accepted any of her requested interruptions for the whole two debates amused all present. Bella gave a clear opposition to the motion on economic and moral grounds and skilfully ridiculed the motion by proving it to be unworkable by any method.

Watford Grammar closed the debate superbly for our side and it was with uncertain nervousness that all sides shook hands and awaited the judge’s deliberation.

A three-way split was declared, but the judge awarded the overall win to Queenswood for being the most incisive and consistent over the two debates. It is with great excitement and wonder that we now progress to the National Finals Day, to be held in the Cambridge Union debating hall itself. We will be one of only 40 teams from over 600 nationally to make it to the final. This is a huge achievement for Queenswood. We have a growing debating society and it is with great pride that we look forward to taking our place in one of the most prestigious debating finals in the country at the end of the month.

We congratulate Aoife and Isabella who, it must be pointed out, are only in Year 11 and still have another two years ahead of them competing against Sixth Formers from around the country. Perhaps we can allow ourselves to hope for some more success in the future…