A group of our amazing year 8 students participated in South Hampstead School’s Bingham debating competition on 9 July. This was the biggest state school debating competition in the UK, with 124 debates and 744 speeches over the day! That’s a lot of oracy!
Two teams of three students represented ACS. As novice debaters, the students grew in their ability to teamwork and communicate effectively as the day progressed. Below are the thoughts of our main speakers:
The debate trip was an amazing experience, and I really enjoyed taking part in it. At the beginning, during the first round I was really nervous. By the second round, even though my voice was still cracking, I started to gain confidence. By our last debate, I felt so comfortable that it was like I was speaking to my friends. Although we didn’t make it to the final, I still learned so much from the experience. I learned how debating works, how to build strong arguments, think quickly under pressure, and present my ideas clearly. I also learned the importance of listening carefully to the other team and working well with my teammates. Overall, it was a great experience that really improved my confidence and public speaking skills, and I’m grateful I had the opportunity to take part in it. (Archana)
I really enjoyed this experience and gained greater confidence in articulating my thoughts. I also enjoyed I was able to work with my teammates to win debates! (Leo)
It was fascinating to see how students from the same year group in other schools debated. I enjoyed the competition. I made loads of friends in the process, all of whom are also keen debaters! (Shail)
