Last Friday marked the inaugural IAPS regional debating competition for North Yorkshire, bringing together four local prep schools and 25 enthusiastic Year 7 and 8 Aysgarth pupils for an afternoon of lively discussion and critical thinking.

Pupils debated the following prepared motion: The best education system is without exams. In mixed-school teams, they presented a wide range of perspectives supported by well-researched evidence and data. The event was expertly adjudicated by Mr Sam Wright, Head of History at Durham School, who offered insightful feedback on the clarity, structure and relevance of the speakers' arguments, as well as their ability to cooperate as a team.

In the second round, pupils were reshuffled into new teams for the Plate and Cup finals, and faced their first unseen motion: This house believes that the UK should follow the Australian model and ban social media for under-16s. With a narrow 30 minutes to prepare, pupils worked excellently together to produce even stronger arguments than before. Aysgarth pupils, Jago and Ara, stood out as the highest-scoring speakers in this round, impressively engaging with and expertly rebutting the challenging Points of Information they faced!

A well-deserved congratulations to the winning teams from QE and St Peter’s, and to all participants for making the event a resounding success and a fantastic showcase of public speaking and critical thinking.