Notting Hill & Ealing Girls Crowned National Debating Champions

Year 6 team of five triumphs at the Cambridge Union

The successful team with its trophy. Picture: NHEHS

June 16, 2026

A team of five Year 6 pupils from Notting Hill & Ealing High School Junior School (NHEHS) has won the Cicero Cup, becoming national debating champions in a competition that tests some of the strongest young speakers in the country. The final, held at the historic Cambridge Union Society, saw the girls triumph after three demanding rounds — securing the trophy for the first time in the school’s history.

The Cicero Cup, run by education charity The Noisy Classroom, is one of the UK’s leading primary-age debating competitions. Open to pupils aged 10 and 11, it challenges teams to demonstrate clarity, confidence and quick thinking under pressure. This year’s final required competitors to debate both prepared and impromptu motions, respond to spontaneous questions from the floor, and switch sides at short notice.

For their prepared debate, the NHEHS team tackled the motion: “This House Believes the Government should stop funding the arts.” In a format designed to test mental agility, pupils had to prepare arguments for both sides without knowing which they would defend until moments before speaking.

Kate Bevan, Head of the Junior School, said the victory reflected years of building confidence and communication skills across the school.

“The team’s success is testament to the fact that our girls stand up and talk in front of their peers week in, week out, from Reception right through to Year 6. Developing a strong pupil voice and building that core confidence is at the heart of everything we do.

“In an age of AI, the ability to process information and use our voices in real time is an incredibly important human skill. By preparing both sides of an argument, our students are developing mental flexibility, learning how to be open-minded, and discovering how to disagree well — crucial life skills that will serve them forever.”

The win adds to a growing profile for debating and public-speaking programmes in Ealing, where several schools have invested in oracy initiatives, lunchtime debating clubs and partnerships with national organisations. The Noisy Classroom, which runs workshops and competitions across the country, has worked with multiple west London schools to strengthen pupils’ confidence and critical-thinking skills.

The school says it hopes the achievement will inspire younger pupils to take up debating in future years.