STUDENTS from Bromsgrove and Droitwich have been competing in a war of words at Droitwich Spa High School to take home a regional title in a UK wide debating competition.

Three teams of pupils, from Bromsgrove School, Droitwich Spa High School, and King Edward VI Camp Hill School of Boys took on one another in the regional finals of the Debating Matters competition, which is organised by the Wellcome Trust.

The teams debated issues ranging from whether we should build HS2, and whether childhood vaccinations should be compulsory, to whether a secular society should prevent people from acting on their religious beliefs.

The students had to give speeches to support their arguments, as well as answering questions put to them, before being grilled by a panel of expert judges and professionals from across the West Midlands, including Chris Game, honorary senior lecturer at the Institute of Local Government Studies at University of Birmingham; Mark Londesborough, programmes manager at RSA; Peter Shortt, sales director for Fujitsu; Mark Taylor, special educational needs professional at the Golden Academy; and Katy Blunt, constituency caseworker for the Solihull Constituency Office

The team form Bromsgrove School came away the winners on the night and will now go on the next stage of the competition.