Year Six students from Harrodian neighbours, Lowther Primary have taken part in workshops run by Harrodian's crack Debating Team this month as part of an ongoing collaboration between the schools.
Year Six students from Harrodian’s neighbouring state school, Lowther Primary have been enjoying an introduction to the skills and the pleasures of arguing in recent weeks by taking part in two workshops run by Harrodian debaters Thomas, Rosalie and Lucy who together form the team that reached last year’s Regional Final of the English Speaking Union (ESU) debating competition and established themselves as the best debaters in the school’s history.
The trio first visited Lowther in October when they staged a workshop for a class of 10-year olds explaining the principles of competitive debating and demonstrating how it works.
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We three were already friends but we’ve grown much closer through debating as a team. It’s good to be able to explain that and to tell young pupils about the essential life skills you learn along the way
Thomas, Harrodian debater and Sixth Former
A follow-up session took place on on 8th November in the Harrodian Theatre when the Lowther class joined a workshop run by the debating team with small group sessions staffed by Harrodian A Level English students, before all 28 youngsters had a go at debating on stage. ‘It was fun to be part of the workshop,’ says Lucy. ‘We were about the same age as the Lowther pupils when we first decided to have a go at debating and over the past seven years we’ve built complementary skills. Thomas and I are good at researching and preparing the topics and Rosalie is brilliant at summarising at the end. So it’s great to be able to pass that on to younger children’
Thomas is also full of the joys of debating . ‘We three were already friends but we’ve grown much closer through debating as a team’ he says. ‘It’s good to be able to explain that and to tell young pupils that the essential life skills you learn along the way – the ability to see both sides of an argument, to think quickly and to express yourself under pressure – are vital and transferable, wherever your educational or career path may take you.’
The workshop is part of a partnership with Lowther jointly initiated by Sixth Former, Jose who is Senior Prefect (Outreach and Charities) and managed by Mr Digby Don who is Mentoring and Volunteering Co-ordinator. The partnership will provide pupils with the chance to benefit both from use of Harrodian's facilities and the school’s expertise in art and drama as well as debating. Alastair Ripley, Deputy Head of Lowther Primary, was impressed: ‘I thought the debating session was fantastic and very well facilitated by your students,’ he commented after the visit to Harrodian. ‘They were well prepared, spoke eloquently and managed each group well.’
Harrodian's partnership with Lowther Primary will provide pupils with the chance to benefit both from use of Harrodian's facilities and the school’s expertise in art and drama as well as debating.
Lowther pupils will be back at Harrodian later this month to view a dress rehearsal for the forthcoming production of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. As for the Harrodian Debating Team, when we spoke they were preparing to do battle with Kings College Wimbledon, Lady Margaret School and Ibstock in the latest round of this year’s English Speaking Union Debating Competition. It’s going to be a tough battle but the team is undaunted. When I dared to suggest that 'it’s the taking part that counts' they reply with one voice: ‘No! We’d never say that. When it comes to debating you have to be in it to win it!'
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