House Debating

The House Debating competition this year involved all ten houses competing over five different motions. Teams were made up of three speakers, including one junior and two senior pupils. Within each round there was a winning house and a star speaker. All the motions were scored rigorously, and teams were then ranked in the overall competition. Third place was awarded to Salisbury House, who argued that we should ban unhealthy food from schools. In second place were Franklin House, who opposed the motion and demonstrated, despite some online views, that there is no crisis in masculinity. In first place, by a small margin, were Court House who argued that international sporting bodies should ban countries with poor human rights records from hosting major events.

Assistant Head, Richard Redwood, commented,

I was impressed with the positive way in which our pupils embraced this year’s House Debating competition, part of our enrichment programme. Debating offers a wide range of benefits that go beyond simply improving confidence in public speaking.  It encourages critical thinking, collaboration and teamwork, which are all important life skills to develop.  Many congratulations to all the pupils who took part, and to Court House for their winning arguments and rhetoric.

For more information about the enrichment programmes at Canford, please visit:

Enrichment