On 12th November, the Prep School Debating Society held their first debates of the new academic year. As expected, the presentations were first class and the pupils performed with great skill and maturity.
The first motion, “This House believes that books are better than movies” was hotly debated by veteran debaters, Cecily, Lucy, Sophie and Ollie. Cecily’s argument was skillfully crafted and Lucy managed to combat some tricky rebuttals, however, it was Sophie and Ollie’s cool and composed riposte that won the day. Tom, Bea and Harry then delivered an extended and complex argument supporting the motion that children should be allowed to spend their money on anything they liked (within the law). These new recruits to the society were outstanding and delivered well prepared and thoughtful presentations that focused closely on the nuances of the debate. However, Emily and Holly’s responses were a little more clinical and confident and they managed to win over the judges with their engaging and clear lines of argument.
A vigorous confrontation then ensued. Florence and Ruby believed that netball is better than hockey. Florence showed just how far she has come as a debater and Ruby’s clinical and well-supported delivery suggested that she is going to be an expert presenter in the future. Annabelle and Freddie also spoke with confidence and engaged the audience with great skill. The judges decided this contest could only be a draw. Rufus and Christian then battled hard over the contentious issue of Brexit and we were impressed with their knowledge of some of the issues and their high-level vocabulary. It was a close contest but Christian just managed to win the judges over. Is Christian destined for Westminster? Watch this space!
Lastly, but by no means least we were entertained by Bronwen and Arabella who contested the motion, “This House believes children went back to school too early”. These young pupils spoke with skill and composure. They had clearly researched and sculpted convincing well-supported arguments, but it was Bronwen who triumphed!
Chocolate prizes were then issued and the children returned home tired but elated, having learnt so much from each other. Our grateful thanks go to the catering team and Miss Clark who ensured that the evening went so well. Thanks must also go to the parents who supported their children’s preparations. We were so impressed by the pupils and it was very gratifying to see how much some of our young debaters have progressed with this critical life-skill.
We will, of course, have further epic clashes in the Spring Term!