Each year, over a thousand students are invited to participate, and last year had over 350 schools competing. The competition offers students an excellent chance to develop their skills and confidence in public speaking, thoughtful argumentation and analytical problem-solving, and is open to students of all ages.

The best performing teams in the competition compete in Finals Day, held at the historic Oxford Union. The Union is one of the most prestigious debating societies in the world, with an unparalleled reputation for hosting renowned speakers from around the globe. Established over 195 years, the society has a long tradition of challenging thought and aiming to promote debate and discussion not just in Oxford University, but around the world.

The topics were:

1. "This house believes that the narrative that people should pursue doing what they love as a career does more harm than good."
2. "This house believes that Eco-Terrorism* is acceptable."

This year, we are very pleased to note that the North Cestrian team of Jafar B and Tilola A were placed second out of 36 teams in the North West Regional Finals of the Oxford Union Debating Competition and as such will compete in the finals on March 11^th held at the Oxford Union in Oxford. This is a fantastic achievement, and we wish them luck for the finals next month.