Above: Debate Club in action

Welcome to the Spring term 2022 and what better way to start the year than with a story written by two of our own Westbourne writers, Year 10 pupils Giancarlo Mempouo and Bea Cleobury-jones.

Discover Debate Club

Westbourne doesn’t simply focus on making sure that your child receives a good quality education, whether they are in Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 3 or at GCSE level. It also wants to make sure that when you leave, you are a well-rounded individual, one such example is Debate Club. This is entirely student-led which means that there is slightly more freedom, and more chance to take responsibility within this club.

Debate Club focuses on practising the art of rhetoric, making sure that students are able to construct a persuasive argument and put it across coherently, answering any questions they may get asked while doing so. We practice these important techniques often. For example  when asking people which side of the argument they agree with most and then making them debate for the opposite side. This encourages them to develop their techniques by being able to understand both sides of the debate; making it easier to counteract points.

We meet at lunchtimes in the New Hall that was recently built, every student in Senior School is allowed to join! On Wednesdays, the Year 7-9s meet up for Debate Club and have a much more relaxed session – this session is open for anyone and takes anyone who does come through a simple journey to becoming a great debater!

On Thursdays, the Year 10-11s meet for their Debate Club, which is much more serious, sometimes going into real-life topics and having a good focus on understanding the world around us as well as sharing our opinions.  

“It really helps students become more open-minded and understand both sides of the argument in a mature manner,” said Malakai Verona, Year 10

“I like debating with my friends and talking to new people. Being able to see others perspectives on issues and hearing different points from what I think.” added Ben Hartog, Year 10

Here are some of the hot topics we’ve explored:

Wednesday

• Are hotdogs a sandwich or something else?

• Do you drink soup or eat soup?

• “Scon” or “Scoan” (/skɒn or skəʊn/)?

• Should we remove/ban homework?

Thursday

• What is really more important: a healthy person, or five sick people?

• Should you drive drunkenly if the situation is dire enough?

• Should uniforms/dress codes be a thing?

• Is democracy the best option for leadership?

Join Debate Club

If you’re in Senior School and fancy joining us, come along and give Debate Club a go, you’ll be very welcome.

By Giancarlo Mempouo and Bea Cleobury-Jones, Year 10