A TEAMS of students from a school in Alcester are competing for a place in one of the UK’s toughest debating competitions.

Pupils from Alcester Grammar School will be taking part in the qualifying rounds of the Institute of Ideas Debating Matters Competition along with students from 10 other schools around the region.

The youngsters will be debating a whole range of topics including fracking, and whether it’s worth sacrificing individual privacy for national security, proving their worth as public speakers, as well as testing their ability to answer tough questions.

The competition, which is organised through Debating Matters, will be judged by representatives from the Society of Radiographers, Warwickshire’s Youth Justice Services, the University of Leicester, the University of Birmingham, the Open University, Speakers’ Corner Trust, the Birmingham Stage Company and De Montford University among others.

Jason Smith, partnerships coordinator for Debating Matters, said: “Over the last couple of years, rather than holding Qualifying Rounds of the competition at one of the competing schools, we have brought together several events on the same night at a prestigious local institution. We’re really pleased to be working with Aston University on this joint project and hope the partnership will continue to flourish in the years to come”.