On Thursday 19 April, fourteen Debate Mate students were lucky enough to travel to the University of Birmingham to compete in the Debate Mate Cup.  The university buildings shone in glorious sunshine and our debaters were a little awestruck at the size of the campus.  Wonder aside, their concentration was not lost and they set their sights on preparing their speeches.

A challenging prepared motion on the United Nations Council showed an outstanding understanding of the world they live in.  Our teams then got to work on two unprepared motions and impressed the judges so much they attained some of the highest scores ever awarded.  The competition also included a show debate, led by Debate Mate staff, which gave our students many ideas.  An intense and public final debate gave our students further insight into effective debating skills that they are keen to try out in the future.

The competition was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for students and staff alike and our Debate Mate students are looking forward to participating in some of their own show debates very soon.