American School of London - 28th January 2026

As usual, we began with a newsround reflecting on world events. This then led onto a discussion about how we receive our news, with video footage being a primary source, and how this can impact how we understand what is happening. 

The class then talked about whether it was acceptable to walk off a pitch if you disagreed with a decision that is made. As a group, most felt it was acceptable, but the impact this could have on the team would mean it could have repercussions. This then led onto an interesting discussion on VAR and why some people disagree with using it.

Sir Ed Davey has recently suggested that the government should be selling war bonds and this was a topic we talked about as class. We looked at why some people would strongly disagree with this idea and also the positives it could have.

Our main debate of the day looked at whether fast fashion should still exist. Despite being a hard argument to make, those against the debate made some excellent points and showed some strong responses to POIs. Our skill focus of the week was pre-empting the other team and students did will to create arguments that acknowledged how the other team might respond. 

Overall, we were impressed with the standard of debating amongst the students and seeing real improvement throughout - well done!