School debating in Scotland

School debating in Scotland is a competitive activity taken up on an extracurricular basis by many schools across the countryFact|date=August 2007. Teams of two or three compete in several competitions and schools debaters may be selected for Scotland in the World Schools Debating Championships.

Scotland are the current World Champions winning the World Schools Debating Championships in 2007. Comprehensive debating resources for Scottish schools debaters and their coaches were written by the English-Speaking Union Scotland last year and can be found at Learning & Teaching Scotland.

The Law Society Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament

This competition, organised by the Law Society of Scotland, is a Scottish schools debating competition. The tournament is currently sponsored by The Glasgow Bar Association and Simpson and Warwick Solicitors. The 2007 final was won by Craigmount High School of Edinburgh and chaired by Nicola Sturgeon MSP. High School of Dundee finished second. The 2008 final was won by Joanna Farmer and Michael Sim of Robert Gordon's College, and High School of Dundee again finished second.

The Courier and Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland Schools Junior Debating Competition

This competition is organised by the Courier newspaper, and is open to Junior school debaters in the area covered by the newspaper. It is sponsored by the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland. The competition is in extended BP format, with three teams on each side rather than the more usual two, and is run on a knock-out basis, with 72 original teams being reduced to six finalists over the course of preparation rounds.There are many school s competing for the grand prize, from all over Scotland. The Grand Final is run, with the help of the University of St Andrews Union Debating Society, in Lower Parliament Hall, St Andrews, with the winners receiving a trip to America, and the runners-up a break in London. In the 2002 Grand Final, the Judges deemed that the quality of debate was so high that all competing teams were given honorary membership of University of St Andrews Union Debating Society.

Winners of the 2006/2007 competition were Shona Young and Kirsty Paterson-Hunter of Kinross High School, who spoke in opposition to the motion that 'This House Would ban non-reconstructive cosmetic surgery'. Runners-up were Marianne Inglis and Catherine Lovegrove from Morrison's Academy who argued for the motion.

Winners of the 2007/2008 competition were Emma Robertson and Ruth Thomson of Morrison's Academy Crieff. The motion was "This House would ban Gambling" and the team successfully opposed the motion and won an all expenses paid trip to America. Among the finalists were two Morrison's teams, two teams from Dollar, a team from Robert Gordon's and a team from St John's.

The ESU Scotland Juniors Competition

The largest competition in Scotland for S1-S3 debaters and is run by English-Speaking Union Scotland. The 2006/7 competition received 113 entries. The competition is in BP format, with four teams of two competing in the debate.

The 2007 grand final took place in the National Galleries of Scotland. The winners were Georgina Barker and Hannah Mackaness of George Heriot's School. The other finalists were Emma Robertson and Catherine Lovegrove of Morrison's Academy who were the runners-up and also St.Thomas Aquinas Secondary School and Dumfries Academy.

Glasgow University Union Schools Debating competition

This years tournament was held on Thursday 15th November and the winners were Arthur Learoyd and Sandy Jackson of Morrison's Academy. The other finalists were Robert Gordon's A (Jo Farmer and Katherine Duncan) and High School of Dundee (Lauren Pringle and Scott Ralston), Morrisons B (Catherine Lovegrove and Emma Robertson). They debated the motion "This House defends General Musharaf's right to rule."

Twenty two teams from all over the UK competed debating three motions: "This House would legalise euthanasia"; "This House would give stay-at-home mothers a salary"; and "This House would include Christian references in the EU Constitutional Treaty".

Other Tournaments

* ESU Mace - a competition open to schools throughout Britain
* Northern Lights - Invitational tournament held at Robert Gordon's College.
* The Glasgow University Union Schools' Debating Tournament
* The University of Dundee Schools' Competition
* The University of St Andrews Senior Schools' Debating Competition.
* Aberdeen University Debater Schools' Competition
* Edinburgh University Schools' Competition

Website And Information

A website has been set up for information about Schools debating in Scotland. The site offers information on competitions, dates and rules. The website can be found at [http://www.scottishdebate.com scottishdebate.com]

Comprehensive debating resources can be found at [http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/debatinginschools]