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Which Rugby school has the debating ‘X factor’?

Young people in Rugby will get the opportunity to demonstrate their ‘X factor’ by ‘taking part’ and ‘taking power’ in this year’s Local Democracy Campaign!

Lawrence Sheriff School, Rugby High School and The Avon Valley School and Performing Arts College will be battling it out in one of a series of schools debates around the county.

The school pupils will have the opportunity to make their views heard loud and clear on hot topics such recycling and reducing the voting age to 16.

The Local Democracy Campaign school debate will kick off at 4.30pm today (Thursday 11th October) at Rugby Town Hall. Schools debate events are also taking place in Leamington, Stratford-upon-Avon and Atherstone.

The Rugby debate has been organised by Warwickshire County Council and Rugby Borough Council.

Not Simon Cowell or Dannii Minogue, but a panel of judges made up of local Councillors including county Councillor Katherine King (Labour – Brownsover division) and district Councillors, Cllr Richard Dodd (Lib Dem – Paddox ward) and Cllr Tom Day (Conservative – Earls Craven & Wolston ward), will decide which school has demonstrated the winning ‘X factor’ in the debate!

Leader of Rugby Borough Council, Councillor Craig Humphrey, will chair the debate.

The star school from the Rugby debate will then go on to take part in a grand finale at Warwick’s Shire Hall on Thursday 18th October, where they will try to reach their ultimate goal of being crowned Warwickshire’s school debating champions for 2007. 

The grand finale will be followed by a ‘Question Time’ session, giving an audience of young people the chance to grill local politicians including Mike Natrass MEP (West Midlands – UK Independence Party), Jeremy Wright MP (Rugby & Kenilworth), Warwickshire’s Members of the Youth Parliament and Warwickshire County Council Leader, Cllr Alan Farnell.

Warwickshire County Council, in partnership with the county’s borough and district councils, will also be launching a number of political speed dating events, a young journalist competition and regular weblogs on the Warwickshire County Council website as part of this year’s Local Democracy Campaign.