Thursday 12th March 2026
Stamford Debaters Reach National Finals of Prestigious ESU Schools’ Debating Mace
For the third time since 2019, Stamford have reached the national finals of the English-Speaking Union Schools’ Debating Mace, placing them among the top 12 schools in the country. The Stamford team (Tessa, Noah, Rebecca, Saanvi and Bear) won the East Midlands Regional Final at Bourne Grammar this week, beating five other schools to win a place in the finals.
Their success can be attributed to their superb team effort; although Tessa, Noah and Saanvi spoke this week and Noah was singled out for being a particularly impressive, ‘conversationally persuasive’ summary speaker, Rebecca and Bear took part in the first round and have been fully involved in preparation meetings and practice debates. The team commented: 'We had a fantastic time at the regional final, participating in an animated and engaging debate.
We are delighted to face new challenges at the national final!’ They are looking forward to the finals day in May, to be held at Dartmouth House, the ESU Headquarters in Mayfair.
The ESU Schools’ Debating Mace is a prestigious national competition, now in its 67th year, with notable alumni, including Malala Yousafzai. It encourages the critical thinking, speaking and listening skills that are highly sought after in the real world, and our team have benefited hugely from the public speaking and debating activities they have been involved in at Stamford. Noah commented: “Ultimately, debating has probably been the most impactful activity I have undertaken in my time here”.