Pictured (L-R): Tamsin Stevenson, Courteney Modeste-Falconer, Laraine Smith - Principal of Uxbridge College, Zaen Kazi, Mike Crane - Student Affairs Governor, and Kieron Patel.
Students from Uxbridge College have won through to the regional finals of a national debating competition.
The students, who are taking AS levels or A2 levels, argued in favour of the motion “We should embrace the advent of three parent IVF” during qualifying rounds of Debating Matters. The competition included students from a number of private schools and colleges including The John Lyon School, Harrow, and Immanuel College, Bushey.
Tamsin Stevenson (16), and Zaen Kazi (18), took part in Round 1, and Courteney Modeste-Falconer (18), and Kieron Patel (19), in Round 2. The teams had to give three minute speeches and answer questions from a panel of experts including a medical doctor, a representative from King’s College, a law specialist from the LSE and a performance/marketing executive. There were also questions from the audience and from the school they were debating against, and they had to give closing summary statements.
Laraine Smith OBE, Principal, said: “Congratulations to our students for their excellent performance in the Debating Matters qualifying rounds. It was certainly a complex topic and they did very well to get a grip on the argument and present their side so convincingly. This is the first time students from Uxbridge College have got through to this stage of this competition – although it isn’t the first time they have won against private schools!”
Uxbridge College students will now be representing the Harrow region in the London North regional final, which is due to take place in late February in London.
The students, whose efforts were co-ordinated by Suba Dickerson, Information and Learning Resources Manager at the College, were congratulated by College governors at a meeting on 27 November.
Debating Matters is run by the Institute of Ideas.