Pupils take part in debate event at Parliament House

Schoolchildren, teachers, parents and Faculty of Advocates members have enjoyed a lively day of debating in the Court of Session for the finals of the Young Speakers Scotland’s Schools Mace competition.

Young Speakers Scotland is an educational charity that aims to use debating and public speaking to help young people realise their potential. In total, 22 schools across Scotland took part in the preliminary rounds of its Schools Mace competition in October and November last year, with the best-performing schools qualifying for the final, which was hosted by the Faculty.

Barney Ross, Clerk of the Faculty of Advocates, welcomed all the participants to the finals. He said: “The ability to analyse a case, craft a persuasive argument and then present it in public with passion and eloquence is a great life skill for young people to develop. Faculty is delighted to support Young Speakers Scotland in their work to bring debating and public speaking to schools across the country in a way which strongly promotes inclusion and diversity. We believe that hosting this debating competition, here in the Court of Session, is a fantastic way for us to engage with, and hopefully inspire, the next generation of advocates.”

The four teams competing for a place in the UK finals were Broxburn Academy, High School of Glasgow, and two teams from St Columba’s School. The winners were Emma Crow and Emma Bell from Broxburn Academy, and the runners-up were the St Columba's team of Callum Hendry and Sophie Hannigan. The finals were judged by The Hon. Lady Haldane together with John McKee and Cameron Wyllie, both former Scottish National Debating Team coaches.

The schoolchildren taking part in the finals were also able to watch a demonstration of a plea in mitigation in court, with the Treasurer of the Faculty of Advocates, Ruth Crawford KC, taking the role of the judge while advocate Emma Boffey and devil Bilaal Shabbir acted as opposing counsel.