Our debating competitions are designed, first and foremost, to be exciting, enjoyable evenings for everyone involved. For the autumn version we particularly encourage novices to attend.

  We are delighted to announce that this event will be sponsored by the social enterprise ‘Sex Ed Matters’ – a PSHE organisation with a campaigning and activism focus, directed by MBE, author and activist Laura Coryton.

  More information about their work can be found here: https://www.sexedmatters.co.uk/

  The format

• Teams of three speakers all do three debates.
• In each debate, every speaker gives one speech lasting no more than five minutes.
• There are two teams in every debate: one in support of the motion (topic) and one against.
• Students are given the motion 15 minutes before the debate and must prepare in their team, with no access to the internet.
• The competition is divided into two age brackets: Years 7 to 9 and Years 10+
• Rounds are power paired: teams compete against teams on the same number of wins as them.
• It is a content first format. We look for strong arguments, with good explanation and reasoning. Style matters, but is secondary to content.
• We hire judges who have a lot of debate and judging experience so the students receive high-quality, actionable feedback for every debate.
• The location is South Hampstead High School, 3 Maresfield Gardens, London, NW3 5SS

A briefing video for our termly competitions can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/912207334?share=copy