School debating in Scotland is a competitive activity taken up on an extracurricular basis by many schools across the country. The main format of schools debating in Scotland is British Parliamentary Style, and competitions in this format are mostly run by universities across Scotland, although more national university competitions, such as Oxford and Cambridge, hold regional rounds in Scotland as well. The BP format of debating consists of teams of two from individual schools. However, School debaters also have the opportunity to debate in the Worlds format of debating, if they are selected to represent their country as Team Scotland at the World Schools Debating Championships. Each year, twenty-four school pupils are chosen to trial and from this group a team of five is chosen.
Scotland has won this tournament five times, in 1990, 1999, 2007, 2012 and 2024. They reached the outrounds of the competition every year since they began competing in it, except in the 2013 tournament, held in Antalya, Turkey.
The Law Society Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament
This competition, organised by the Law Society of Scotland, is a Scottish school debating competition, with the trophy currently held by the 2024 winners, Finlay Sayers and Sarah Pym of Broxburn Academy. The tournament is currently sponsored by the Glasgow Bar Association and Simpson and Warwick Solicitors. The 2007 final was won by Craigmount High School of Edinburgh and chaired by Nicola Sturgeon MSP. The High School of Dundee finished second. The 2008 final was won by Joanna Farmer and Michael Sim of Robert Gordon's College, and the High School of Dundee again finished second. In 2009, Allen Farrington and Cosmo Grant from The Glasgow Academy won the trophy. In 2010, the trophy was retained by The Glasgow Academy by Séamus Macdonald McGuigan and Oscar Lee. Craigmount High School dominated the early 2010s, winning the trophy in both 2012 and 2014. In 2015, Jamie MacLeod and Ewan Redpath of Madras College, St Andrews, won the competition. The 2016 final was won by Finlay Allmond and Caitlin Sherret of Nairn Academy. In 2017 Douglas Academy won the final. Peebles High School won in 2018, 2020 and 2021- this makes them and Craigmount High School tied for the most Donald Dewar victories (Craigmounts’ victories being previously stated). The 2019 winners were Bearsden Academy, breaking up the Peebles victories, and the runners up were Balfron Academy. Fortrose Academy won in 2022, with the High School of Glasgow winning second place. In 2023 the winning team was Broxburn Academy’s Emma Bell and Ruby Ferguson, with the runners up being from Balfron. Broxburn won again in 2024, the winning team being Finlay Sayers and Sarah Pym, with Balfron coming second. 2025 saw Nairn Academy win for the second time, with Broxburn coming second. Nairn Academy successfully defended their title in 2026, the third time the school has won the competition, with Bearsden Academy the runners up.
The Courier and Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland Schools Junior Debating Competition This competition is organised by the Courier newspaper, and is open to Junior school debaters in the area covered by the newspaper. It is sponsored by the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Scotland. The competition is in an extended BP format, with three teams on each side rather than the more usual two, and is run on a knock-out basis, with 72 original teams being reduced to six finalists over the course of preparation rounds. Many schools compete for the grand prize, from all over Scotland. The Grand Final is run, with the help of the University of St Andrews Union Debating Society, in Lower Parliament Hall, St Andrews, with the winners receiving a trip to America, and the runners-up a break in London. In the 2002 Grand Final, the judges deemed that the quality of debate was so high that all competing teams were given honorary membership in the University of St Andrews Union Debating Society.
Winners of the 2006/2007 competition were Shona Young and Kirsty Paterson-Hunter of Kinross High School, who spoke in opposition to the motion that 'This House Would Ban Non-Reconstructive Cosmetic Surgery' winning on a unanimous vote. The runners-up were Marianne Inglis and Catherine Lovegrove from Morrison's Academy, who argued for the motion.
Winners of the 2007/2008 competition were Emma Robertson and Ruth Thomson of Morrison's Academy, Crieff. The motion was "This House would ban Gambling" and the team successfully opposed the motion and won an all expenses paid trip to America. Among the finalists were a team from Robert Gordon's, two Morrison's teams, and a team from St John's.
For the 2009-'10 season, the competition will not run, and its future looks to be in turmoil since the main sponsor (CIOBS) pulled out. However, a new competition has been formed to replace it, run with the support of GSK. It started in the spring of 2010. The new competition, the East of Scotland Debater, has since started. Regional heats have taken place, and the final will be held on 4 June in St Andrews University's Parliament Hall. The finalists were Robert Gordon's College, Morrison's Academy, the High School of Dundee, and Forfar Academy.
The ESU Scotland Juniors Competition
The largest competition in Scotland for S1-S3 debaters is run by the English-Speaking Union Scotland. The 2006/7 competition received 113 entries. The competition is in BP format, with four teams of two competing in the debate.
The 2007 grand final took place in the National Galleries of Scotland. The winners were Georgina Barker and Hannah Mackaness of George Heriot's School. The other finalists were Emma Robertson and Catherine Lovegrove of Morrison's Academy, who were the runners-up, as well as St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School and Dumfries Academy. The 2012 Grand Final took place in the Scottish Parliament building. The finalists were teams from George Heriot's School, Mearns Castle High School, Grove Academy and St. Columba's School. The final was won by the team from St Columba's. The 2014 Grand Final also took place in the Scottish Parliament building. The finalists were teams from George Heriot's School, Dollar Academy, George Watson's College and Douglas Academy. The final was won by the team from Douglas Academy. The 2015 Grand Final was hosted by Standard Life in Edinburgh. The finalists were teams from Clifton Hall School, Morrison's Academy, George Watson's College and Renfrew High School. The final was won by the team from Clifton Hall School.
Aberdeen Debater Schools Competition Year R1 Motion R2 Motion R3 Motion Final Winner 2003 THW make voting compulsory THW legalise euthanasia THW plan for peace by preparing for war THW place further restrictions on asylum seekers entering the UK Aberdeen Grammar School 2004 THBT nuclear power is the future THBT there is no place for school uniform in today's society THW withdraw British troops from Iraq with immediate effect THW abolish child labour in the third world High School of Dundee 2005 THBT ASBOs are ineffective THS the policy of shoot-to-kill against suspected suicide bombers THW introduce compulsory organ donation THW ban advertising aimed at children Robert Gordon's College 2006 THBT political parties should be funded by the state THW ban home schooling THW boycott the Beijing Olympics THW prosecute the parents of obese children High School of Dundee 2007 THW vote for an independent Scotland THW introduce compulsory national service THW torture terrorist suspects in the interest of national security THBT juries in the trials of under-18s should be composed of their peers 2008 THW ban experiments on animals THW prevent individuals with a criminal record from holding elected office THBT the BBC cannot justify the licence fee THBT foetal abnormality does not justify late abortion 2009 THW scrap the war on drugs Jan - 2011 THW abolish NATO THBT members of extremist political parties should not be allowed to teach in schools THBT tax payers should fund the Royal Wedding of Kate and William THBT developing countries should pay university tuition fees for female students only Nov - 2011 THW assassinate dictators of oppressive regimes THW abolish the right to strike THW ban Islamic women from wearing the veil in Britain THW privatise all universities 2012 THBT the UK should leave the EU THW give prisoners the vote THW ban designer babies THBT hip hop does more harm than good Robert Gordon's College 2013 THBT the Arab Spring has not resulted in positive change THR the commercialisation of Christmas THW allow euthanasia (in Harry Potter land) THW tell the Muggles everything 2015 THW give refugees the right to vote THW not prosecute non-violent offenders motivated by social justice during US race riots or protests THW introduce gender-neutral schools in the UK THW allow military personnel to opt out of military operations based on conscious objections St Columba's Apr - 2025 (Juniors) THP to live as a farmer rather than an office worker THW ban schools from issuing homework to students THO the culture of toxic positivity THBT Scotland should repatriate the Loch Ness Monster to England Aberdeen Grammar School Nov - 2025 (Seniors) THBT New Year's Resolutions do more harm than good TH, as a progressive Labour MP, would join Your Party THBT social media companies should be held legally liable for hate speech on their platforms THW run a production of “Wicked” instead of “The Wizard of Oz” as the school play Aberdeen Grammar School
Glasgow University Union Schools Debating competition