Local school students master the art of debate with Pinsent Masons

“The past is yours, but the future is mine” was the Stone Roses quote used by Sarah Bonnell school to clinch the Debating Competition 2016 trophy.

The annual Pinsent Masons LLP Debating Competition, organised by ELBA and Pinsent Masons LLP sees eight schools from Newham and Waltham Forest take part in coaching sessions, delivered by volunteers from Pinsent Masons and their clients. The volunteers and students came together at the City offices of Pinsent Masons to spend the day competing against one another in a series of heats at the annual Pinsent Masons Debating Competition. The judging panel was made up of  The Rt Hon Lord Justice Floyd; Susie Fehr, Group HR Director at Marshall and Richard Foley, Senior Partner at Pinsent Masons. All the students involved were fantastic and thoroughly enjoyed the day, with a Norlington School student saying about the day: “my confidence level has increased tremendously through this programme.”

The finalists, Sarah Bonnell School and Lister School, debated for four minutes on the pros and cons of the motion: “those too young to vote in the Brexit referendum were robbed of a voice to shape their own future.” Lister School roused the audience with their argument that “in order to have been robbed of our future, we would have had to own it in the first place”, but Sarah Bonnell’s clear arguments and slick delivery saw them take home the trophy.