Off to St Andrews they go!

Caterham Philosophy and Theology Department was delighted to host this year’s regional round of the St Andrews University Ethics Cup, and it certainly proved to be a rewarding day of academic debate. Caterham won the regional round and will now progress to the final – the third time we have achieved such success in the last five years.  

Nine teams from across the South-East of England competed in the competition where civil discourse and constructive rebuttal is the winning formula. Pupils from Fourth Year to Upper Sixth tackled challenging and complex ethical case studies, ultimately responding to questions about their arguments from a panel of judges. The Ethics Cup rewards teams who demonstrate the capacity to develop a range and breadth of arguments, and crucially, those who are able respond to feedback from both judges and opponents. 

Congratulations to our winning team: Luke K, Anson L, Louise L, Shannon T, Cosmo L, Riley D, Scarlett B, Seth B, Marusia E, Ola M, Alfred Y. 

Below are excerpts from a member of the Caterham team, Marusia, who writes about the experience of taking part and their progress through the competition. 

‘Our team approached the regional competition with excitement and trepidation. Mrs Rounds had prepared us brilliantly, with countless lunchtimes in H8 developing our arguments and refining our collaborative skills. The Ethics Cup club, held on Thursdays in H8 from 1:30pm, also provided an incredible source of powerful, well-considered, and carefully prepared arguments upon which the competition team could draw.  

In the group stage, we faced Orion Spires Academy and Thomas’ School, performing well in the first few rounds of the group stage. As the group stage progressed, the level of difficulty increased exponentially. We encountered more assertive opposition, leading to a brief period of uncertainty. There was a genuine sense that progression to the semi-finals was not guaranteed.  

We were ecstatic when we realised that we had just qualified for the semi-finals, finishing 4th by a narrow margin which gave us our qualifying place. The finals, where we played against Farnborough during the semifinals and Thomas Tallis during the final, were competitive in the sense that it was leagues above our earlier rounds. We remained calm under pressure, able to adapt our reasoning and tactics and gain an upper hand throughout the discussion. While the competition was intense, it was also intellectually stimulating, providing us with a platform for civil discussion across a wide range of contemporary ethical issues. 

The judging panel represented a wide and impressive range of professional and academic backgrounds who had substantial experience in the field of ethical reasoning. At each round, the judges asked questions that required us to engage with multiple perspectives, while developing our critical thinking skills. Though the questions were often rigorous and direct, they provided a chance for us to refine, clarify, and develop our arguments with precision. 

It would not be possible for the Philosophy and Theology Department to host the competition without the support from current parents, teachers, Old Cats and friends of the school who generously give their time and expertise as judges. Their thoughtful and probing questions helped create an atmosphere of thoughtful reflection, collegiate debate and collaborative thinking. The Ethics Cup is no traditional debating competition, and the event demonstrated the power of truly respectful, reasoned discussion. 

A special thank you to Ms. Rounds and Ms. Webster, who organised and hosted the tournament, and turn our attention to the national final at St Andrews. 

In the final, we were particularly anxious about which case would come up – I was especially dreading the ‘Animal Adoption’ case – but when we saw that it was ‘Brave New World’, a case about gene editing, we all sighed in relief. After a demanding round, which included some particularly complex questions from the judges, we managed to secure a 3–0 win. As a team, we were all incredibly proud of the dedication, hard work, and enthusiasm that everyone put in to make such an achievement possible. Well done everyone – off to St Andrews we go!’