Top debating teams took part in the first round of the national English Speaking Union competition held at Harrow School.

Teams from Harrow, John Lyon and St Helen’s schools have been selected to continue on to the next round after an evening which saw three debates between six schools.

Harrow School, represented by Theodore Seely, George Mingay and Dylan Winward, proposed to limit each person to one return flight per year for environmental reasons. It was opposed by a very able team from Queens Park Community School. The adjudicator for the evening was Tobias Gerrard-Anderson, from the New College of the Humanities.

The ESU competition is the oldest and largest debating competition for schools in England. It is one of many competitions entered by Harrovian debaters. The School’s Debating Society is popular with boys wishing to develop this important skill. The main focus is the annual, year-long inter-House Junior and Senior competitions. Motions are generally drawn from current affairs but the finals are always abstract and more challenging.