Beaconhurst take to floor

Beaconhurst pupils are among those from 85 schools across Scotland preparing to debate the pros and cons of holding referendums.

The schools will be taking to the floor for the opening rounds of the Law Society of Scotland’s annual debating tournament.

The 2016/17 Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament will see 128 teams from the 85 Scottish schools put their powers of persuasion to the test when they debate the motion ‘This House would ban referendums’. Now in its 17th year, the competition is the biggest school debating tournament in Scotland.

Heather McKendrick, head of careers and outreach at the Law Society, said: “Young people in Scotland have shown great democratic awareness and interest over the past few years, particularly during the Scottish independence and EU referendums. We’ve set our teams a real challenge by asking about the benefits and drawbacks of holding referendums.

“I’m looking forward to hearing the arguments they put forward. It’s great to see so many schools entering teams in tournament and we’re delighted to have 14 schools taking part for the first time.”

The opening rounds take place this month with further heats early next year and semi-finals in the spring.

The winning team will win £1000 for their school from the society. The top two teams will share educational books to the value of £500 donated by event sponsor, Hodder Gibson.