Mr West applauds Claremont’s Senior Debate Club for stating their case 

On 25th January 2024, Claremont High School hosted the second round of the English-Speaking Union Schools’ Mace, one of the oldest and most prestigious schools debating competitions in the UK. 

Year 13 students Shannon Craig, Janvi Solanki and Carlos Welford prepared well and made a very convincing argument against giving prisoners the vote. Their opposition, South Hampstead High School, were stiff competition and, unfortunately, the Claremont team didn’t go through this round. However, given the nature of the competition, we are very proud of how far they’ve come, and they’re certainly in good company... The other schools that didn't get beyond this round were The Royal Masonic School for Girls, Henrietta Barnett School and Queen Elizabeth’s School. The other team that went through, in addition to South Hampstead, was The American School in London. We wish them both well! 

It was heart-warming to see how many members of the Senior Debate Club stayed after school to support the team. Despite the disappointment for our students, the evening ran smoothly and it was a good night of networking for our pupils - new friendships were definitely forged. Claremont’s Senior Debate Club will be back next year, no argument about it!