Last week, pupils from Years 9 and 10 had the opportunity to take part in the UCL round of the Oxford International Competition for Young Debaters. Georgina and Fifi (Year 9) alongside Sofia, Avani, Eleanor and Shreya (Year 10) successfully participated in the event, qualifying for the finals in April.
The wide range of topics covered over the three rounds meant that the teams had to think quickly during the 15-minute preparation slot before each of the three debates; building their speechwriting and communication skills.
The first motion given, required the teams to argue whether the ending of academic streaming would be a positive or negative experience. Shortly after this, in round two, they were engaged in a debate around their support for the glorification of hard work. For the last motion of the day, the teams were faced with the challenge of debating about the potential benefits and/or harms of paying stay at home parents a living wage.
At the end of the day, all three Bromley High teams achieved amazing results which was particularly impressive given a few debaters were competing for the first time. Sofia and Avani both won individual accolades. and the team overall qualified to progress to the ICYD finals, taking place in April at the Oxford Student Union.
“The best thing about the entire experience, for me, was being a part of discussions centred around socially and politically relevant issues and having the opportunity and platform to voice my opinions on them.” Fifi, Year 9 pupil