A SCHOOL has hosted its first debating competition.

Schools and colleges from across the region took part in the competition held at Teesdale Comprehensive School, in Barnard Castle.

A team from the school was also on the winning side of one of the debates and is to go through to the regional heats, along with a team from Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, in Darlington.

The competition was a district round for the English-Speaking Union Centre for Speech and Debate Schools' Mace.

Competing against the two winning teams were teams from St Aidan's College, in Sunderland, and Macmillan College, in Middlesbrough.

The debates were on the whether police should be routinely armed and whether the monarchy should be abolished.

The judges praised the quality of all the teams and found it a hard task to decide the eventual winners.

Cassie Flint, who teaches English at Teesdale school, said: "We've had a debating society for two years but this is the first time we've held a competition at the school.

"It really shows what young people can do and we saw some very able students dealing with difficult topics."