Hours of passionate arguing in Fairfax Academy’s Debating Club paid off for sixth former Oliver Murdoch, when he was named Best Individual Speaker at Sutton Coldfield’s Schools Parliamentary Debating Contest.

Oliver, who formed a formidable debating duo with Georgia Eaves, is part of Fairfax’s Debating Club, which meets weekly to discuss challenging topics, sharpening their debating skills.

On Thursday, March 26, Oliver and Georgia used that experience to skilfully debate the future of the BBC licence fee and digital IDs at the contest, which is organised by Sutton Coldfield MP Sir Andrew Mitchell.

The hotly-contested contest, which has been a fixture in the town for decades, pits teams from all of Sutton Coldfield’s schools against each other in front of a lively audience.

And Oliver, backed by staff and friends from Fairfax, scooped one of the big three prizes – Best Individual Speaker – at the event at Sutton Coldfield College.

Director of Sixth Form at Fairfax, Azania Blake, said: “I am over moon for Oliver – he really did Fairfax proud. They were both absolutely brilliant.

“Georgia and Oliver are in the Debating Club at Fairfax and lots of the other members came along to support them.

“It’s a great weekly club, which sets the students a lot of unseen challenges, encouraging them to come up with debate points quickly.

“Learning to debate means the students learn to be open to other views, which they don’t necessarily agree with. 


“In addition to that, they often have to argue against a point that they actually agree with.

“So, it really helps them to be well-rounded and interpret the news better. It’s a great life skill.”