St Andrew's School - 28th April 2025

It was great to catch-up with old and new faces alike at our St Andrew's Debating and Interview club. 

We began with a focus on key debating skills, including how to best persuade an audience, with rhetorical devices, from questions, to triples and flattery. 

We then turned to a newsround. We discussed the passing of Pope Francis, Trump Tarrifs and the London Marathon.

Warm-up questions included: 'What was the highlight of your holiday? & crucially why?' Justification was key here.

Highlights took in:

Morocco, Scotland, time with Friends, cycling, and extreme sports

We also asked: 'If you had the chance to revolutionise your favourite hobby, how would you push the boundaries and create a unique experience?'

This saw netball, cycling and the bagpipes all feature with new challenges. 

Our set-piece debates looked at the motions:

'This House believes that the Blue Origin Space Mission with Katy Perry, was just a publicity stunt'

Was Rory Mcllroy right to say following his Masters golf triumph, 'you should never give up on your dreams' or is that too ambitious and unrealistic?

'This House would ban devices (iphones, ipads etc./computers) from bedrooms for children'

In each case the group divided both in our proposition and opposition format, and in the voting at each telling. 

We particularly enjoyed the reference to Martin Luther King, in terms of the importance of 'dreams' - this was a very sophisticated point, brilliantly illustrated. 

Well done all!