As part of the centenary of the voting rights for women, The Queen’s School will be holding a debating competition for teams of girls aged 11-14 from local schools.
BBC journalist and news presenter Louise Minchin and Chester’s Lord Mayor, Councillor Razia Daniels will attend on the day to support participants and help judge the debates.
Local schools are invited to submit a team of two or three girls from Years 7, 8 or 9 to debate a range of topics related to democracy, women’s rights and a fair and equal society. The girls should be happy speaking in front of people, resilient enough to have their point of view questioned and they will need to do a bit of thinking on their feet, but they do not need to have had previous experience of debating as this will be explained and all participants will be supported throughout the day.
It is important for the girls to understand that whilst this event is a competition, the rules of debating mean that all participants will be respectfully heard and questioned. The focus of the day is as much about developing a fuller understanding of the subjects up for debate as it is about winning. No preparation work will be required but teams can read around the subject if they wish.
The event is being planned for Friday April 20th and is expected to last a full school day, to include an introduction to the debate rules, ice-breaker and warm up activities, three debates, preparation time plus lunch which will be provided for the teams and accompanying staff.
Any school interested in taking part in this event should contact Acting Deputy Head Laura Frowe via secretary@thequeensschool.co.uk as soon as possible to reserve a place.