On Friday 22nd November students from KS3 and KS5 represented the School at the prestigious ISA Debating Competition 2024, a platform designed to showcase critical thinking, public speaking and teamwork skills.
This year our KS3 debating team, made up of Year 7, 8 and 9 emerged victorious and claimed the title of the ISA Debating Competition KS3 champions!
The day progressed with a structure of preparing for the given motion through research in a group preparation room, allowing time to find evidence, statistics and knowledge before arguing their points; then joining the debate with the opposing team.
KS5’s first debate, although successful, was a psychological leap away from the norm of a preprepared script due to no internet access, inhibiting research! Despite this hurdle, they adapted impressively and delivered a strong performance. The second debate, on the motion ‘Video games are better than board games’ allowed the team to shine, with sufficient preparation and a persuasive argument, although conceding this round.
Notably, Louis (Lower Sixth) earned the Judges’ Award for ‘Overcoming Technological Adversity’ during the technical glitch in round one, demonstrating exceptional resilience and resourcefulness under pressure.
Meanwhile, the KS3 team delivered a stellar performance, navigating each debate round with remarkable confidence, presentation skills and critical thinking. Their teamwork and preparation propelled them through motions such as: ‘Autonomous vehicles will make safer drivers’, ‘Technology is creating more jobs than it eliminates’ and finally ‘This generation has sufficient role models’; leading to their victory.
The School is immensely proud of all the participants, who exemplified excellence, adaptability, and determination throughout the competition.
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