Author: Robert Lyons

On Wednesday 5 February, a thoughtful and determined team from The Burgate School and Sixth Form beat seven other schools from the local area to win the coveted Debating Matters Southampton 2020 trophy at a stimulating day of debate hosted by Solent University and supported by NATS.

Burgate, Debating Matters stalwarts who were eager to win their first trophy, triumphed over King Edward VI School in a truly enlightening final on whether museums should repatriate colonial-era cultural artefacts.

King Edward VI argued expansively throughout the day, impressing with their intellectual agility as they won their way through debates including mandatory vaccinations, corporate sponsorship of the arts, and whether people should have fewer children to solve the climate emergency.

However, it was Burgate who got the better of the arguments in an intense final debate, with their team arguing passionately that museums need to resist the politicisation of cultural objects and that claims about cultural ownership of objects are often tied up with a divisive identity politics.

The event was hosted at the inspiring Spark building at Solent University, with the university supplying several judges for the day who kept students on their toes throughout. Likewise, Debating Matters’ partners NATS – the UK’s leading provider of air traffic control services – contributed to the competition by sending individual and panel judges. This extensive interaction between partners, judges, and students constitutes one unique element of the Debating Matters competition, which puts students on the spot to develop and substantiate their arguments.

The judges awarded Joe Kirby of Bay House School & Sixth Form the prize of ‘Best Individual’ for his excellent debating and penetrating questions, with Samuel Alford Itchen Sixth Form College given ‘Highly Commended’ and Antonia Jones of Dauntsey’s School awarded ‘Commended’.

NOTES

For further information about the event, the Debating Matters competition or to request photos or interviews with students, teachers, judges and other participants, please contact Jacob Reynolds on 020 7269 9231 or email jacob@theboi.co.uk

The students were all Year 12 and 13 sixth-form students from:

• Alton College
• Bay House School
• The Burgate School
• Dauntsey’s School
• Itchen Sixth Form College
• King Edward VI School
• New College Swindon
• St Swithun’s School
• The Purbeck School

Created in 2002, Debating Matters is a national sixth-form debating competition for students from around the UK. DM offers a fresh, accessible and engaging format for debating contemporary real-world issues, with an emphasis on substance, not just style of debating, and the importance of taking ideas seriously.

On Thursday 23 January, a measured and resilient team from Sturminster Newton Sixth Form beat seven other schools from Dorset and surrounding counties to win the coveted Debating Matters South West trophy at an enthralling day of debate hosted by Sherborne Girls School. The hosts, who won the 2018/19 Championship, were narrowly beaten in a tense and hard-fought final where the teams grappled with the issues surrounding repatriation of cultural artefacts.

Ultimately, however, it was Sturminster Newton who managed to persuade the judges, arguing calmly under pressure that the repatriation was a risky endeavour that raises troubling issues about the cultural ‘ownership’ of art. Sherborne Girls came within sight of victory after fiery speeches about the damage of colonialism and continued presence of colonialist ideas within Western museums, but were ultimately unable to fully sustain their arguments in the face of challenges by the judges, points from the floor, and their opposition.

The finalists had battled through a tough day of debate, arguing convincingly in debates on ‘Climate emergency: People should not have more than two children’, ‘Autonomous vehicles will make driving safer’, and ‘Childhood vaccinations should be compulsory’.

The event featured a team of distinguished judges – including, among others, former MP Sir Oliver Letwin, Sunday Times bestselling novelist Lulu Taylor, and author and former director of the Royal Collection, Sir Jonathan Marsden. They put the students under serious intellectual pressure to justify their positions. As ever at Debating Matters, the students relished the opportunity to show off their research and demonstrate their arguments.

The judges also awarded Thomas Matthew of Exeter College the prize of ‘Best Individual’ for his excellent debating and penetrating questions, with Laurence Hayward of Sturminster Newton given ‘Highly Commended’ and Alice McCormick of Sherborne Girls School awarded ‘Commended’

NOTES

1. For further information about the event, the Debating Matters competition or to request photos or interviews with students, teachers, judges and other participants, please contact Jacob Reynolds on 020 7269 9231 or email jacob@theboi.co.uk

2. The students were all Year 12 and 13 sixth-form students from:

• Bryanston School
• Exeter College
• Gillingham School
• Sherborne Girls School
• Sherborne School
• Sturminster Newton Sixth Form
• The Gryphon School
• The Purbeck School

3. Created in 2002, Debating Matters is a national sixth-form debating competition for students from around the UK. DM offers a fresh, accessible and engaging format for debating contemporary real-world issues, with an emphasis on substance, not just style of debating, and the importance of taking ideas seriously.

4. Debating Matters is a project of the boi charity. For more information on the charity, please visit www.theboi.co.uk

5. Follow Debating Matters on Twitter: @DebatingMatters

Sherborne Girls School has made this short video making the case for debating in schools. We think it is a perfect encapsulation of why Debating Matters exists and thank the school for letting us share it here:

Sherborne Girls will be hosting Debating Matters again on Thursday 23 January when eight teams will gather for our South West Championship 2020.

Debating Matters came to the historic city of Durham on Friday 5 July to give six schools from across the North East the chance to engage in a day of ideas-driven public debate.

After a uniquely close day – featuring, for the first time, two tie-break decisions to separate the schools in each of the two groups – it was Hartlepool Sixth Form College who triumphed, impressing the judges throughout the day with their intellectual bravery and ability to stick to their guns under pressure.

In a heated final debate on the motion ‘Populism is a threat to democracy’, the winners adopted a vigorous defence of populism against status-quo politicians who didn’t pay attention to the needs of the majority. They narrowly beat Barnard Castle School who attacked the dangerous historical parallels they saw with contemporary populists.

Earlier in the day, students tackled topics such as ‘Monuments to controversial historical figures should remain’ and ‘Childhood vaccinations should be compulsory’. It was to the credit of all students involved that these debates were both fiercely fought and intellectually invigorating, with participants showing a keen grasp of the scientific, economic, and above all moral issues at play. The judges for the day – drawn from local business, politics, and academia among others – were impressed by the breadth and depth of research.

The judges awarded Kate Harrison of Yarm School the prize of ‘Best Individual’ for her consistently great argumentation and impassioned speaking, with Kieran McAdam of Gosforth Academy and Esia Forsyth of Barnard Castle School picking up the ‘Highly Commended’ and ‘Commended’ titles respectively.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. For further information about the event, the Debating Matters competition or to request photos or interviews with students, teachers, judges and other participants, please contact Jacob Reynolds on 020 7269 9231 or email jacob@theboi.co.uk
2. The students were all Year 12 and 13 sixth-form students from:
   • Barnard Castle School
   • Durham Sixth Form Centre
   • Gosforth Academy
   • Hartlepool Sixth Form College
   • The Hermitage Academy
   • Yarm School
3. Created in 2002, Debating Matters is a national sixth-form debating competition for students from around the UK. DM offers a fresh, accessible and engaging format for debating contemporary real-world issues, with an emphasis on substance, not just style of debating, and the importance of taking ideas seriously.
4. Debating Matters is a project of the boi charity. For more information on the charity, please visit theboi.co.uk
5. Follow Debating Matters on Twitter: @DebatingMatters

Debating Matters has a showcase day as part of the Oxford Festival of the Arts – with a special evening event to boot.

Debating Matters came to the Oxford Union to give eight local schools the chance to test their ideas and arguments in the unique debating format where substance rather than style carries the day. After a hard-fought day of debate, it was Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School who came out on top, impressing the judges and their peers with their outstanding ability to marshal arguments and discuss complex topics.

In a heated final debate on the motion ‘Populism is a threat to democracy’, the winners successfully made the case that populism is to be welcomed as it refocuses politics on the concerns of ordinary people and away from elites. The winners narrowly beat Leighton Park School, who passionately argued that populism uses simplistic and divisive rhetoric. In one memorable moment, a student from Leighton Park argued that, even though they were a Brexiteer, they believed the populism of many Brexit voters had to be challenged.

The day, hosted at the historic Oxford Union, formed part of the prestigious Oxford Festival of the Arts. Uniquely for this event, the schools competition final was followed by a public panel discussion open to all members of the public. In this discussion, a panel of leading thinkers – aided by one student from Magdalen College School’s Debating Matters team – discussed ‘From sexting to screen addicts: should we be afraid of online harms?

At this panel discussion, Jess Butcher MBE, the technology entrepreneur, Victoria Nash, deputy director of the Oxford Internet Institute, and Martyn Perks, a digital business consultant, were joined by Jamie Shephard from Magdalen College School and a large public audience to thrash out the fears, risks and opportunities that surround the internet age. While no definitive answers were reached, the audience certainly created a lively discussion that enriched everyone’s understanding of the difficult issues at play.

Earlier in the day, students tackled topics such as ‘Western museums should repatriate cultural artefacts’ and ‘Childhood vaccinations should be compulsory’. It was to the credit of all students involved that these debates were both fiercely fought and intellectually invigorating, with participants showing a keen grasp of the scientific, economic, and above all moral issues at play. The judges for the day – drawn from local business, politics, and academia among others – were impressed by the breadth and depth of research.

The judges awarded Tom Powell of John Hampden Grammar School the prize of ‘Best Individual’ for his excellent questions and impassioned speaking, with Keely Brown of Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School and Ellie Adams of Queen Mary’s College picking up the ‘Highly Commended’ and ‘Commended’ titles respectively.

A special thanks to Molly Barlow, Andrew Leslau, Simon Hargraves, and Charlesworth Financial Planning without whom this event would not have been possible.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. For further information about the event, the Debating Matters competition or to request photos or interviews with students, teachers, judges and other participants, please contact Jacob Reynolds on 020 7269 9231 or email jacob@theboi.co.uk
2. The students were all Year 12 and 13 sixth-form students from:
   • Cirencester College
   • John Hampden Grammar School
   • Leighton Park School
   • Magdalen College School
   • Queen Mary’s College
   • Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School
   • St Edward’s School, Oxford
   • Waddesdon Church of England School
3. Created in 2002, Debating Matters is a national sixth-form debating competition for students from around the UK. DM offers a fresh, accessible and engaging format for debating contemporary real-world issues, with an emphasis on substance, not just style of debating, and the importance of taking ideas seriously.
4. Debating Matters is a project of the boi charity. For more information on the charity, please visit theboi.co.uk
5. Follow Debating Matters on Twitter: @DebatingMatters