Highland schools dominate the floor in national debate final

Half of the schools taking part in the “Speak up Scotland! Big Balloon Debate Final” held at the Royal Society of Edinburgh on 30 May were from the Highlands.

Pupils from Dingwall, Alness, Nairn Academies, and Golspie and Farr High Schools all took part in the prestigious event which was generously funded through a Science Engagement Grant from the Scottish Government, the Robertson Trust and MacRobert Trust.

Organised by the English-Speaking Union Scotland, the Speak Up Scotland year of science debating was supported by the Scottish Government, Robertson Trust, MacRobert Trust and its finale hosted at The Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Around 120 schools entered from all over Scotland, and pupils at 5 Highland secondary schools reached the finals among ten schools.
Each pupil had to debate on a famous scientist of their choice. The five Highland pupils that took part in the debate finals and their choice of scientist were:

Suzanne Ensom, Head of Education at the English-Speaking Union Scotland said: “We had a really great turnout from Highland Schools, both in the project and also in the competition.”

The debate winner was Stephen McGurk from John Paul II Primary School in Glasgow.