SCHOOLS from across Chester and Cheshire have competed in the city's first girls' inter-schools debating competition.

The day-long competition for Key Stage 3 pupils was organised by The Queen's School to mark the centenary of the women's suffrage movement and as a way to encourage more girls to become involved in politics and public life.

It was judged by former Queen's pupil Anne Clwyd MP, outgoing Chester Mayor Cllr Razia Daniels and BBC journalist Louise Minchin.

The debates spanned an entire school day with teams of two or three girls from seven schools debating motions about politics and a fair and equal society.

The winning team was from Bishops' Bluecoat School, with Queen's the runners-up in the final debate of the day.

Organiser Laura Frowe, acting deputy head, said: "It was a real pleasure to welcome all the girls to Queen's to participate in the debates. As we expected the standard was exceptionally high and I think we saw some real stars of the future in action.

"As the city's only girls' school, Queen's aims to lead the way in promoting women's and girls' voices.

"The school has a rich heritage of producing bright, articulate women who know not only how to speak and present, but also how to listen; debating is an excellent way of learning and honing these skills.

"My congratulations go to the very worthy winners from Bishops' Bluecoat School and to all the teams who put in excellent performances on the day. I am already looking forward to next year's event!"