TWO sixth form students in York used their French speaking skills to lead their school to victory in a regional heat of a prestigious national competition.

Ellen Richardson and Tom Murgatroyd, both in year 13 at All Saints RC School, York, were the North East Regional winners in the schools French debating event – the Joutes Oratoires Lyceennes.

The Joutes Oratoires are organised and hosted by the Institut Francais Royaume-Uni, the British-based part of the worldwide organisation dedicated to promoting the French language.

The national competition takes place over several months with hundreds of schools and sixth form colleges throughout the United Kingdom competing in a series of regional debates.

Richardson and Murgratoyd won the final heat in the North East Regional category, taking part in two prepared debates in their semi-final rounds before having to debate in French against their co-finalists, Yarm School on a fresh topic, unseen before that day.

The heats included students from grammar, private and public schools as well as state schools.

Head of languages at All Saints, Martin Ashdown, said: "We have always been proud of our language strengths at All Saints. To test and prove our abilities against some of the most prestigious schools in the region shows, once again, that we must be doing something right."

Richardson and Murgatroyd will move on to the final of the whole event, taking place at the Institut Francais in South Kensington, London, on March 20 and bringing together the winners from all regional heats.