Knightsbridge School - 5th October

A super session with our Knightsbridge School debating & interview club. This week we tackled conviction speaking and focussing on structure as our key skills. It was magnificent to see so many of the group incorporating these into their speeches. It was also tremendous to hear of so many newsround items - the group have really engaged with world news. Well done all!

HS2, the Conservative Party Conference, natural disasters and the Cricket World Cup all featured in our current affairs discussion.

Having briefly discussed taxation and how money should be allocated across Government departments, we turned to our main debating topic, splitting into Proposition and Opposition, to argue on the motion: 'This House would ban the use of single-use plastic cutlery'. This followed the ban coming into force in England (that had followed recent laws in Scotland and Wales).

The group was very hesitant to ban on the basis of whether it would actually make a key difference to the already terrible problem of plastic waste in the Oceans and how it would impact small takeaway businesses. At the same time many pointed out alternative solutions, from bamboo cutlery, to stainless steel and argued that this was a key moment in the battle to clean up the planet.

In the end the undecided held sway, with many wanting to continue the discussion long after the session had ended.

Well done all on such excellent debating!