A team of eight Norwich sixth-form students have been chosen to represent East Anglia at a National European Youth Parliament session in September.

The girls, who are all year 12 students at Norwich High School for Girls, on Newmarket Road, were selected after taking place in a regional session of the European Youth Parliament in Cambridge.

One of the students, Tessa Schiller, said: 'It was a wonderful opportunity to debate in the Cambridge Union and we cannot wait for the Nationals.'

Tessa was joined by Martha Robinson, who put forward an excellent speech on the European reaction to the summer riots which rocked London last August. Helen Higgins, pictured right, managed to expertly propose the French motion with amazing fluency and Lorna Butler concluded the debate efficiently.

Sami Haycox, Eleanor Milton, Claire Robertson and Molly de Carteret also took part in the winning team.

Eleanor said: 'This has been a really fantastic experience which not only increased our debating skills but also our knowledge of European Union issues.'

The national competition will take place between September 12 and 16 in Liverpool.

All eight girls are already excited about the debate, after beating 11 other teams in Cambridge.