Our three-day debating festival led by Debate Mate made a huge impact on our students and staff. We genuinely saw our students grow over the course of those few days and the energy and passion provided by the Debate Mate team will have a lasting impact on our school.
Why debate?
21st century and employability skills
Debating equips young people with the confidence to lead and communicate effectively, work in a team, think analytically and creatively while fostering resilience, and emotional intelligence. It engages students with the wider world and important global issues. Taken together debating creates well-rounded, highly skilled future employees.
Increased academic attainment and achievement
Debating develops high achievers who are adept at dealing with complex material. It develops critical and creative thinking, which directly translates to the ability to problem-solve. Our methodology is proven to improve students’ capacity to use formal English and to listen in an active and productive way. It is also particularly effective at improving literacy and spoken formal English.
College, university and careers
Debating naturally equips young people with the ability to perform exceptionally at university interviews. It also stands out above all other extra-curricular activities on a personal statement or CV. The transferable skills guarantee success when at university, and the network that debating creates continues to be beneficial throughout university and into their careers.
Taught by the highest achieving debates and professionals in the world
We use a combination of world class debaters, mentors and qualified teachers from the world’s leading universities, including Oxford, Harvard, LSE, Imperial College and Monash. Many of them are currently excelling as lawyers, bankers, engineers, doctors and technology executives. Our trainers spend in-depth time with the students, and in addition to teaching them debating, mentor them in a wider capacity too.