After four rounds of debates, St Mary’s got through to the Nationals of the English Speaking Union Mace Debating Competition. They were one of 12 teams, who were all regional champions in their own right from across England, whittled down from over 230 teams who started off in the first round!

During the morning of 25th March, the team of two LVI (Year 12) girls - Georgia and Rose - debated against the motion 'This house would require western MNCs to implement western labour standards and protections throughout their supply chains' with Sevenoaks School proposing. They acquitted themselves admirably against some very stiff competition.

Whilst they were not selected for the grand final in the afternoon, both the debaters, as well as other students from St Mary’s, were keen to ask questions on the final motion which was 'This house would grant posthumous pardons to suffragettes' which sparked lively discussions on feminism, freedom of speech and legality.

This is the first time that St Mary’s has got through to the Nationals of the ESU Mace debate: the girls are to be commended for the dedication that they have shown in preparing for the four rounds, as well as how well they have developed their skills as debaters. It has been an excellent opportunity for them, as well as the whole Debating Society, to see some first class analysis and evaluation in action and they have learnt a lot from the experience. We are looking forward to more competitions with the ESU in the future.

Mrs Samantha Handy, Head of History and Politics