Debaters impress at London School of Economics

Tonbridge debaters competed in the LSE Schools Debating Competition, one of the largest events on the schools’ circuit. Using the British Parliamentary format, teams had just 15 minutes to prepare motions ranging from the US university system to the rise of biopics.

The A Team of Matthew (FH5) and William (PH5) secured a Premier League finish, ranking 17th out of 130 teams, with victories over schools including Wycombe Abbey, Sevenoaks School, South Hampstead High School, Haberdashers’ Elstree Schools and Westminster School. They missed out on the final by a single point after a narrow final-round defeat to Godolphin and Latymer School (149 to 148).

Our debutants also performed admirably, with Tonbridge B (Evan SH3 and Ethan PH3) beating Wellington College and Tonbridge C (William OH4 and Thassilo OH4) defeating Christ’s Hospital School.

Dr Kochaj, Master in Charge of Competitive Debating, said, “To come within a single point of the finals against such strong opposition is an admirable achievement. More importantly, the entire team displayed outstanding camaraderie and competitiveness.”