Debating success[1]

NEWS FROM SOLIHULL SCHOOL
Issued: 20 June 2011
SOLIHULL SCHOOL SEEDED BEST IN THE REGION BY OXFORD UNION
Judges from the world-famous Oxford Union have ranked Solihull School's Debating
Society as the best in Central England.
The School made up two of the six teams that represented the region in the national finals
of the Oxford Union Debating Competition after hosting and winning the regional finals.
Solihull School's new Debating Committee with their teachers: from left to right, back row, Andy Pursley, Usama Rahman, Asfanyar Quereshi and Sam Weighall; middle row, Tina Gough, John Gilbert, Anna Cooban and Oli Anderton (Teacher); front row, Dr Helen Johnson (Teacher in charge of Debating), Charlie White, Helen-­‐Cara Younan, Jamie Wallis, Stephanie Biddle, and Daniele Harford (Teacher). Polly Bewick is not featured Finalists Liz Culliford, Tom Gerard, Asfandyar Qureshi and Anna Cooban were among the
176-strong members of the School's Debating Society that have achieved outstanding
success this year under the previous Society President and Head Boy Michael Hawkes.
Liz and Tom also reached the finals of the Cambridge Union and the Birmingham Schools
competitions, while Isaac Webber and Jack Hines were finalists in the International
Competition for Young Debaters in Cambridge. Belinda Saunders and Sanika Karandikar
were finalists in the Taylor Trophy Competition for Under 16s in the Midlands.
The top seeding has coincided with the election of a new committee for the 2011/12
debating season under the Presidency of Helen-Cara Younan. The committee members
also include Polly Bewick, Stephanie Biddle (Head of Lower/Middle School Debating), Anna
Cooban, John Gilbert, Tina Gough, Andrew Pursley (Head of Sixth Form Debating),
Asfanyar Quereshi, Usama Rahman, Jamie Wallis (Head of Debate Training), Sam Weighall
and Charlie White (Head of Junior School Debating).
Dan Coetzee, retiring Head of Debating at Solihull School, said: “This has been an
excellent year for the Society and our performances have been a credit to the highly
dedicated and enthusiastic student committee than runs the Society's affairs. Based on
our performances in the Oxford and Cambridge competitions and our vast size, we can
justly claim to be one of the leading regional powers in debating.”
With one of the largest and most active debating societies in the country, Solihull School
has become the favoured venue to host the Central England rounds of the premier English
Speaking Union, Oxford and Cambridge competitions.
The Society has also been providing support to future lawyers, inviting outside experts as
speakers, and recently hosted a debate entirely in French with visiting students from Saint
Joseph de Tivoli School from Bordeaux.
Ends
Issued on behalf of Solihull School by Lois Burley PR Ltd (0121 666 7003). For more
details, please contact Sean Morgan, Senior Deputy Headmaster, on 0121 705 0958.