Team of East Ham pupils wins first place in prestigious debating competition

Pupils from East Ham’s Brampton Academy came top in a debating competition at Benjamin Franklin House.

Melanie Nneka Onoyo and Osauwese Omoragbon won the Year 12/13 team category in ‘Frankly Speaking’ on March 16.

They were debating issues on the environment, tuition fees, a second EU referendum and space exploration.

Held at Bloomberg’s new head office, the annual competition is sponsored by London’s US Embassy London, Bloomberg, and the Daughters of the American Revolution. Prizes included a tour of the Houses of Parliament and a place at Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows Summer Institute in North Carolina.

The Benjamin Franklin House Education Programme is run for around 2,600 primary and secondary school students each year, developing critical thinking and an ability to assess in pupils. The House also offers internship programmes and a literary competition for young writers.

Brampton Academy was last week graded ‘Outstanding’ in every category by Ofsted, six years after first achieving the rating.