A team of secondary school pupils has won their first-ever debating competition.

The team of 12 from Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw in Pontypool competed against other schools at the Christchurch Centre, Newport, last month.

Part of the Debate Mate competition, the event pitted the students against St Richard Gwyn Catholic High School, Whitmore High School, The Bishop of Llandaff CiW High School and Plasmawr School.

Participants had to prepare their debates on subjects including three-day weekends and environmental change law.

The Welsh Government’s Seren Programme, aimed at supporting state-educated pupils' university applications, implemented the Debate Mate competition.

Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw student, Gwenan Dickenson said: "This project has given us countless opportunities where we can extend and learn new skills.

"I am so grateful for this opportunity, even though I was nervous, I’m proud of myself for pushing through and it looks very impressive on the CV!"

Classmate Cody Watkins agreed: "This programme has opened lots of doors for me, even though it takes me away from lessons sometimes, it is complementing my curriculum by improving my public speaking skills which will be invaluable to me in job interviews and university applications."

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Sophie Toovey, head of English at the school, added: "The Debate Mate programme has been extremely beneficial for improving students' public speaking, especially since Covid.

"The current school curriculum doesn’t have a lot of space for debating and public speaking, but these are skills that employers are seeking.

"We were delighted to take part in this and would love to see it become a future partnership."