It was wonderful to welcome so many new students to debating today. They were certainly quick to develop the confidence to speak out and it was fantastic seeing everyone participate in our warm up exercises and in the debate itself. We discussed homework as a warm up, whether it helped us to learn, the amount set and alternative proposals. It was fascinating to hear their ideas and they structured their thoughts well. We moved onto a seemingly light hearted discussion entitled ‘Is it ok to...

This was a superb last session before the Spring break. Our skill focus this week turned to POIs and Summary preparation. Our newsround reflected on events in the Middle East and Cuba, conferences in Nigeria, the rise in fuel pricing and inflationary pressures across the globe, as well as the Northern Lights, football and other sporting news, and the Oscars. Warm-up questions included: ·         ‘If you could replace homework, what would you replace it with, and why?’ ·         ‘What are you...

This was a superb final set of sessions before the Easter break. Our skill focus this week turned to POIs and Summary preparation. Our newsround reflected on events in the Middle East, the rise in fuel pricing and inflationary pressures, as well as football and other sporting news, and the Oscars. Warm-up questions included: ·         ‘What would you change in your school if you were in charge, and why?’ ·         ‘What are your favourite hobbies out of school?’ -          This included an...