St Joseph’s College, Ipswich, has been named the winner of the ESU Schools’ Mace Debating Competition 2026. Ademide Adeyeye, Alex Blaydon and Josh, along with reserve Ben Dearsley, beat 11 other semi-finalist teams at Dartmouth House, London, on Thursday, 7 May – the culmination of a contest which has featured 114 heats in which over 1,500 young people have taken part. Worthy runners-up were Aylesbury Grammar School, who lost out in the grand final debate: ‘This House Would ban athletes from competing under a neutral flag at the Olympic Games if their country is subject to international sanctions’ to St Joseph’s College who were opposing the motion.
‘I feel like my future is set,’ said Ademide. ‘This is a really big thing for me.’ Alex agreed, adding, ‘I’ve really enjoyed how the topics are so different to the subjects I’m studying – it’s given me time to understand a bit more about the world and the political situation. It’s helped me to gain confidence, too, as public speaking isn’t something I’d normally do.’ Asked why competitions like this are important, Josh said, ‘I think keeping people talking is the biggest negotiator and barrier to violence that we have in the world. As long as debate is happening, then violence has no way of getting in.’
Their teacher, Briege Rice, Head of Humanities at the college, said ‘This is such a just reward for the amount of work that the boys have done. As well as working with me twice a week on Zoom [Ms Rice is currently on maternity leave] they have been working three times a week on their own. They’re such role models for the school as well,’ she continued. ‘We have a debate society for Years 7 to 13, and these boys give up their time every single week on a Friday after school to help the younger students.’ Commenting on the ESU Schools’ Mace competition as a whole, she said, ‘I really do think it’s the best competition. There’s such a lovely camaraderie among all the schools throughout the competition, and the students develop as public speakers, and also in terms of their confidence. And what makes the ESU different than every other competition is the amazing feedback from the judges.’
The Grand Final debate was judged by debating and oracy experts, as well as ESU alumni. Alan Maclean KC, a former winner of the Observer Mace, the UK and Ireland’s premier inter-university debating championship, was one of the esteemed judges, and said, ‘Increasingly, I think students, school kids, undergraduates are living in their own silos, listening only to themselves or to people they know they already agree with, which is a really bad thing for everybody. It’s really, really helpful that people understand that there are two sides to an argument, and it’s important to be able to see the other guy’s point of view.’
Charles Byrne, Director-General of the ESU, said: ‘All the students are here today as the result of many hours of research, practise and rehearsal. All of them will have learnt skills, built their confidence, and developed friendships I hope, all of which will serve them well in the future, and I have no doubt that as they go forward with their lives, they too will serve well their schools, their communities, and perhaps even their nations, too.’
The English-Speaking Union’s Schools’ Mace is the oldest and largest debating competition for schools in England. It began in 1957 as The Observer Schools’ Mace and was taken over by the English-Speaking Union in 1995. Past winners include Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy and broadcaster and author Edward Stourton.
