St Mary's Debate Team Advances to Regional Finals in Historic Achievement

We are pleased to announce that St Mary's competitive debate team has achieved a historic milestone by advancing to the regional finals of the English Speaking Union Mace debates. This prestigious competition, which St Mary's had the honour of hosting, featured rigorous competition among six schools from Cambridge and Colchester.

The Schools' Mace competition holds particular significance in the academic debate circuit, having established itself as England and Wales' longest running and most comprehensive debating competition since its inception in 1957. Each year, it engages more than 300 schools, providing students across Key Stages 3-5 with a platform to engage with contemporary issues and develop critical thinking skills through structured debate.

Our team, consisting of Hannah F., Kelly L., and Amy M. demonstrated exemplary performance as they argued in favour of the challenging motion: "This house believes musical works should not be copyrightable" against The Perse School. The judges commended our team's sophisticated argument structure, strategic handling of points of information, and poised rebuttal of the opposition's points. Their performance was particularly noteworthy, with one judge describing it as "inspirational" and highlighting the team's successful implementation of feedback from earlier rounds.

This victory places our debate team just one step away from qualifying for the national finals, marking an unprecedented achievement in St Mary's recent history. The dedication and growth demonstrated by our students throughout this competition reflects the high calibre of discourse and critical thinking we aim to foster at St Mary's.

We extend our congratulations to our accomplished debaters and eagerly anticipate their continued success in future competitions.