5 December 2019
On Tuesday afternoon, Abingdon Prep held its annual Public Speaking and Debating Competitions.
First, it was the turn of the Middle Section Public Speaking Competition, where entrants were given five minutes to convince the audience of the arguments they put forward, which this year included banning the sale of fireworks for private use, the importance of the UK leaving the European Union with a deal and expanding nuclear energy. Well done to Laurie from Year 5 for winning this competition where he argued that the sale of tobacco should be banned.
Then it was the turn of the Senior Section. This competition featured two debates, one on the influence of social media and the other about the monarchy. Both debates featured some strong questioning from the audience for each speaker. The winner for this competition was George from Year 7, who argued that social media was a positive influence on society. Many thanks go to Dr Burnand, Head of Scholars at Abingdon School, Mr Scott, Teacher of English at Radley College, and to Glynne Butt, an Abingdon Foundation Governor, for forming the judging panel for both events.
