HOME | Oxford Schools' Debating Competition

OXFORD SCHOOLS'

Welcome!

Registration for the 2023-2024 competition is now open and will close on December 24th. Please complete the reg form here.

Run by the Oxford Union, Oxford Schools' is the largest British Parliamentary school-level debate competition in the world, and the largest debating competition in the UK, aimed at students aged 14-18.

We aim to make debating accessible to as many schools as possible whilst maintaining the prestige and competitiveness of the title; an aim we have pursued for over 20 years.

Competition Overview

Each year, we invite over a thousand students 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 Competition Is Split Into Several Stages:

1. Workshops

Throughout the Autumn term, teams of Oxford debaters will host a series of online workshops that are available to all participating teams who register for Oxford Schools. These are designed to be useful to students at all levels of debating, from complete beginners to those who consider themselves to be 'advanced debaters'.

Read more about workshops and register your interest here.

2. Regional Rounds

The largest component of the competition, the regional rounds take place across the UK and Ireland. Additionally, we also host international rounds across 4 contintents. Each school is placed in a region geographically and the rounds are hosted by a local school. These rounds involve competing in two debates with 15 minutes preparation time ('short prep'), after which the judges will send the top performing teams forward to Finals' Day.

3. Finals' Day

Held in Oxford at the Oxford Union, the Finals' Day takes place in March. We invite around 120 of the best performing teams from the UK, Ireland and our international rounds to compete for the title.