Public Speaking and Debating Club Grand Final

"This house would ban gambling" was the hot topic debated at the final of the Debating Club tournament this week. The annual event is a celebration of the hard work over the past year by both the upper club (years 10 and 11) and the lower club (years 7 to 9) and is a time when both come together to field teams of students from years 8 to 10.

It was was also the final debate organised by our club coaches, Vanya C. and Amelie A., before they sit A levels and head off to university.

Both Vanya and Amelie are sad that their time debating at St Mary's will soon come to an end but agreed that, having seen the tenacity, enthusiasm and dedication of the club members, they are sure of a very bright future for both clubs. When asked what the stand-out moment of their leadership had been they shared a common sense of achievement:

"It was lovely to see how all members have developed in confidence and fluency and have thrived on the competitive element rather than letting nerves win. It was also lovely to invite an external guest judge to see all the hard work that was put into the event."

The external judge, Mrs Glass, is both a former English teacher at St Mary's and co-founder of the debating club and we were delighted to welcome her back to assist with the judging.

Congratulations to both the proposition team; Emily B., Kelly L, and Grace P., and the opposition team; Amy M., Charlotte M. and Sam P. for an excellent discussion, with the opposition team narrowly winning what was a very close debate.

The two coaches proudly said the purpose of the clubs they have helped to nurture is: 

"To encourage confidence and self-belief in members and instil in them the courage to question and think critically about the world in which they live. We want our students to leave debating club with the skillset they need to own the space that their ideas occupy and voice their thoughts unapologetically and with articulacy and poise."

Previous motions included; This house believes that AI is a threat to humanity; This house would encourage quotas in the professional sector and This house believes that the emphasis on STEMM in school is detrimental to young people, with over 20 students across all year groups participating in the tournament, and even more regularly attending the club sessions.