Tilehurst pupils flourish in Newbury & District Agricultural Society climate debate competition held at Thatcham

A school in Tilehurst is celebrating its silver success in the inaugural Newbury & District Agricultural Debate competition.

Three schools entered one team of three Year 10, 11 and 12 pupils to compete for the chance of winning a £300 cash prize.

And Little Heath School’s team, led by Year 12 pupils Elisa and Adhira and Year 11 pupil Keira, achieved second place overall, walking away with £150, which they have donated to the school’s eco-committee.

The competition, hosted at Kennet School in Thatcham, saw teams compete in two rounds of debates on February 22 and March 23 related to the subjects of climate change and the environment.

Little Heath’s team was only narrowly beaten by Kennet School after being penalised for exceeding its 15 minute debate window.

Its team chose to debate the benefits of eco-tourism and prioritising economic development over reaching net zero carbon.

After the competition, the winners said in a group statement: “We’ve worked very hard over the last couple of months and are super proud of ourselves for coming second.

“The NADAS debate competition was a valuable experience. Our topics of net zero and eco-tourism are both very relevant today and it was a great opportunity for us to improve our public speaking skills.

“We would also like to thank our teacher Mr [Carl] Taylor who gave us this opportunity and supported us throughout the process.”

Headteacher, David Ramsden, added: “I am so proud of the students who represented Little Heath.

“They worked so hard and with such enthusiasm to get to the final, and we are so impressed with their achievement.”

Trinity School came in third – an impressive achievement considering its entire team consisted of Year 9 pupils.

Pupil Erica Phillips, said: “It was an amazing experience that helped me produce one of my best speeches to date.

“Not only did I get to work as part of an amazing team, I did a lot of research on the topic of climate change and learned how to effectively argue more than one point of view.

“Everyone involved was super friendly and good at debating and the competition definitely helped me hone my skills.”

Education officer for NADAS, Jan Murray, said: “It was a very successful event.

“The youngsters were extremely confident and articulate and put together very sound arguments.

“The standard was high and we were very, very impressed.”

Mrs Murray also discussed where the competition is headed.

“It’s a new one for us, so small beginnings,” she added. “We’re hoping to grow it with more schools next year.”

Next year’s debate competition is due to be held at Little Heath School and entries will open in the autumn term.