We have been thrilled with the progress made this term with our EHB Debating Club.
This week on skills we covered speaking with 'conviction' and with particular emphasis on affirmative tone, active voice, body language and careful vocabulary choice.
Our newsround saw us focus on new of the King and what the announcement might mean for the UK.
(i) Our first motion involved a discussion of how we get to school: this split across - walking, cycling and scooting, travelling by car, and public transport options.
Following a very lively discussion on the health benefits of walking, it was felt by many in the group that at least a majority of school runs should be made on foot if at all possible. That said, it was also argued that for many distance, childcare costs, disability, and practicality with siblings going to different schools made it impossible for now to see the figure move much higher in the London system.
(ii) For our second debate we turned to the motion: 'This House prefers packed lunches to school lunches'.
Here the voting split 50/50 at both tellings - with lots of recognition for the nutritional benefits of school lunches as the healthy option (following BMJ Open data) whilst at the same time plenty of discussion that there would be less waste with packed lunches as this involved food preferences and one did not want to be tired in the afternoon if you had not got enough energy from your lunch. The question of enough variety for those with allergies or other dietary requirements also moved many to favour a packed lunch option - at the same time it was also felt that the school could deal with allergies better than individuals, e.g. being 'nut free'. Focus, attention and energy for afternoon sessions remained at the forefront of the discussion with it being critical to have a healthy lunch for a healthy mind and body if one had sport later in the day. The classic motto mens sana in corpore sano came to mind.
Well done all on a tremendous first half of term!
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