All 32 London boroughs represented in the 3rd annual London Debate Challenge Finals Day
All 32 London Boroughs were represented in the third London Debate Challenge Finals Day in June at the Maritime Campus at Greenwich University. It was the last Finals Day of the three year programme. Each borough was represented in the competition by a team of four students, aged 12-14, the majority of whom had qualified for the final by winning a debate competition in their borough.
During the day each team debated three times and the two teams with the highest scores went through to the final. The two finalists were Brent and Hounslow. In front of the other competitors and representatives from London Debate Challenge sponsors Coca-Cola, Tesco, the Sir John Cass Foundation and The London Challenge, they debated the motion ‘This House believes the government should allow the police unlimited power to combat terrorism’.
While the judges deliberated, Deputy Chairman of the ESU, Edward Gould, praised the quality of the debate, and the programme in general for giving students skills that will benefit them in later life. The judging panel were Tim Green, LDC Borough Co-ordinator for Bromley, twice World Schools debating finalist Sarah Monroe from the ESU Centre for Speech and Debate and Michael Ehioze-Ediae, an LDC mentor who has tutored students in borough debate workshops over the last three years. The panel came to the decision that the Hounslow team from The Heathland School were the winners. They received a digital video camera donated by LDC sponsor Coca-Cola, globes and free places at Debate Academy, the ESU’s residential debate weekend in July.
The ESU would like to thank the sponsors of the London Debate Challenge for their support over the last three years.
ESU works with AimHigher Central London Partnership for exciting debate day
40 students from schools in Kensington & Chelsea, Westminster, Chelsea and Islington came together at the University of Westminster today as the conclusion of a programme in which university students from the University of Westminster, London Metropolitan University and the Royal Vetinary College had taught debate workshops in various central London schools.
This was the first experience of debate for most of these schools, even though many of the programme's university student ambassadors were also quite new to debate; they had all been part of an ESU training programme earlier in the year which aimed to expand participation in debating to London universities which don't currently have active societies.
Following its success this year, the ESU hopes to expand its work with new universities and new university debating societies in the coming academic year.
ESU hosts the final of Tower Hamlets Primary Schools Debating Competition
Over the past few months the Excellence in Cities unit in Tower Hamlets has organised a major debating competition in the borough proving that Primary School students are the future of debate outreach in the UK.
On Monday, 19 July the ESU hosted the Finals day of the competition at Dartmouth House in Mayfair, where teams from 8 schools across the borough debated both proposition and opposition sides of the motion "This House believes there should be compulsory school for pupils on Saturday mornings". The Grand Final, between Kobi Nasrul and Columbia Primaries, was on the motion "This House believes people should not keep animals as pets". Columbia were judged to have been the better team by a panel of judges from the ESU's university mentor team and from Tower Hamlets.
The level of debate was impressive throughout the day. Particularly noteworthy were the students from Sir William Burrough School; while most of the pupils were from Years 5 & 6, this team of Year 3 students debated fantastically and one won the prize for best floor speaker in the Grand Final.
This only goes to prove how exciting the future is for debating in Primary Schools. The ESU will be publishing a new DVD and handbook to support this fast-expanding area of debate later in the year. Keep an eye on
www.britishdebate.com/primary for details.
ESU delivers final London Debate Challenge workshop to 32nd London borough
The ESU Centre for Speech and Debate has delivered its final pupil workshop day as part of its
London Debate Challenge programme. Over three years it has worked directly with over 2,500 11-14 years olds from each of London's 32 boroughs, and Thursday's workshop with students from Lewisham means that a team from every London borough will be able to participate in our London Debate Challenge finals day on Tuesday, 27 June. Over 600 teachers have also been trained in London Debate Challenge training days.
Our generous sponsorship package for work in London (provided by the London Challenge, Coca-Cola, Tesco and the Sir John Cass Foundation) comes to an end this year, but the Department for Education and Skills, our principal sponsor for the original three-year programme, will be continuing to sponsor us over the coming two years. More details will be posted here soon.
Registration open for ESU Schools Competitions 2006/7
Registration is now open for the ESU Schools Public Speaking Competition (for students in Years 10 & 11, or S3 & S4) and for the ESU Schools Mace - the national debating championship (for students of any age at secondary schools).
Click here to read more or register online.
