The Socratic Club - 12 April 2026

This was a great start to our new term.

Our skill focus this week turned to Opposition debating and how best to be critical as well as constructive of proposition arguments.

Our newsround reflected on events in the Middle East, Hungarian elections, the Grand National, Artemis II, the war in Ukraine, and a ban on social media for children in Greece.

Warm-up questions included:

·       ‘What have you enjoyed most over the Easter holidays?’

·       ‘Is Spring better than all the other seasons?’

·       ‘Should we all have to learn a musical instrument?’

The first question saw an eclectic mix of activities mentioned, from skiing in France, to fishing in Sweden, reading, general relaxation, visits to Monaco and Nice, family time, time with friends, and a Grand Tour of Italy, from Pompeii to Rome and Capri.

We then turned to the Artemis Moon mission and debated whether space exploration should be a top priority for the UK, and in terms of NASA missions, where should the world focus on next? Both groups divided on the first question. On the second, suggestions included, Mars, the Sun, and greater investment on creating/setting-up a base on the Moon.

Debating motions included:

·       ‘This House believes replica World Cup Football kits are too expensive’

·       ‘This House should food recycle at home too, in addition to more general household waste’

·       ‘This House believes that screen time for under 5s should be mandated by the Government rather than Parents’

- here both groups strongly argued in favour of the role of Parents, rather than Government action. 

In the Senior group we also asked whether King Charles and Queen Camilla should still make the State visit to the USA later this month.

Very well done all on impressive argumentation and thoughtful contributions throughout.