The St Andrew’s Debating Tournament is the premier event in YSS’s debating calendar, giving Scotland’s young debaters the chance to speak in a prestigious national setting. This year, the Grand Final will take place at the Faculty of Advocates in Edinburgh, making it one of the most memorable events in the school debating season.
The tournament is designed to provide maximum educational impact, especially for novice debaters. Pupils are also encouraged to get involved beyond competing — by chairing and timekeeping for debates, sitting on judging panels, and contributing to the floor debates.
The competition is open to pupils in S3–S6, and younger pupils are welcome to attend as supporters.
2025 COMPETITION
Entry to the St Andrew’s Debate is free.
The event will take place on Saturday 29th November 2025 at the Faculty of Advocates, Edinburgh. Click here to enter.
Please note that spaces are limited — schools are encouraged to sign up early to avoid disappointment.
If you have any questions or would like to bring a group of supporters from your school, contact us at events@youngspeakersscotland.org.uk.
2024 COMPETITION
On the 26th November, Young Speakers Scotland held our annual St Andrew’s Debate competition. This is one of the highlights of our calendar, with schools enthusiastically competing to make the Grand Final and be declared winners.
This year, our competing schools were:
St Ninian’s High School
Broxburn Academy
Kinross High School
Banchory Academy
Inverness Royal Academy
Dingwall Academy
Edinburgh Academy
Currie Community High School
Fettes College
The High School of Glasgow
Stirling High School
Wellington School
Charleston Academy
Schools took part in three preliminary rounds, debating the following motions:
Round 1: This house would ban the use of cellphones in schools.
Round 2: The “self-care” trend refers to the norm that people should prioritise themselves and their wellbeing over that of others. It includes the rise of meditation apps and therapy.
This house believes that the “self-care” trend does more harm than good.
Round 3: This house believes that the UK government should cooperate with, rather than resist, the Trump administration.
Following these preliminary rounds, the following four teams qualified for the Grand Final:
- Broxburn Academy
- Stirling High School
- St Ninian’s High School
- Dingwall Academy/Edinburgh Academy (hybrid team)
Our Grand Final took place at the Mackenzie Building at the Faculty of Advocates. Thank you very much to the Faculty letting us debate in such a wonderful space!
The Grand Final motion was ‘This house opposes varied sentencing’. After an excellent debate, Broxburn Academy was declared the winners, with Stirling High School being declared runners-up. Congratulations to all participating schools!
