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Debating at Harris City Academy Crystal Palace

At HCACP our debate club has gone from strength to strength. In 2013 the Social Sciences department founded our debate club, having not had one in the academy for several years. Students of all ages and abilities have always been welcome, and we see debating as an opportunity for students from many different academic contexts to engage in an enormously worthwhile and thoroughly educational pursuit.

In our first year, Sixth Form students attended the inaugural Benjamin Franklin Institute Debate at the US Embassy, making it through to the final. Both students went on to become successful debaters at their Universities. In our second year students represented the academy in the Oxford Schools and English Speaking Union debating tournaments, as well as in our interfaculty debating tournaments at HCACP.

In 2013-14 we began to see real success, with our team of Key Stage 3 debaters making it to the final of the Harris Federation debating tournament and narrowly missing out on the trophy, and we began to see some truly talented debaters stepping forward.

In 2014-15, we knew we had something special going on at HCACP. Our Key Stage 3 debate squad entered the  English Speaking Union’s London Debate Challenge, and  travelled to The School of Oriental and African Studies in July. It was HCACP's first time attending the event, and the team were competing with some of London's best grammar and comprehensive schools.

The students competed in 3 debates over the course of the day, and HCACP were then announced as one of two teams that had made it to the final; in front of 10 London Borough Mayors and a host of ESU dignitaries, as well as 18 other London teams the team proposed the motion this house would make voting compulsory.

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace were judged the winners, and 2015 champions. It was an absolutely remarkable achievement and demonstrated immense articulacy, analytical thinking and confidence by such young students.

Some of these students have gone on represent the academy this year in the English Speaking Union’s Mace Debating competition. This National Debating championship is one of the biggest and most widely respected in the UK and HCACP were in for a challenge, drawing Dulwich College (the 2013-14 champions who knocked us out that year as well!)

Amy and Anna, LDC Champions and now in Year 10, spoke opposing two Dulwich College Sixth Formers on the motion 'This house would only imprison violent offenders, and would give all non-violent offenders non-custodial sentences'. It was a debate of impressive sophistication and passion, and both sides engaged with the detail and practicalities of the debate.

In a close fought contest, the Dulwich post-16 students won. However, our night was not over! Of the 6 teams competing in the heat, the top three on points progress, and our year 10s were so good that they went through to the next round in 2016 over JAGS, the winners of the final debate of the evening!

There have also been other less competitive but equally amazing opportunities. On the 4th of December 14 HCACP students were invited to the House of Lords in Parliament to take a place on the red benches and debate an issue important to all of us: the representativeness of parliament. This is only the ninth time ever that non-lords have been permitted to debate in the Chamber; this was truly a remarkable experience offered to us by the English Speaking Union and HOL.

The day began with a private tour of Parliament and included a lunch fit for a parliamentarian or visiting head of state! Year 11's Robyn Roach was chosen before the day by the ESU to speak from the floor on the need to change the way in which we select and elect members of parliament and spoke convincingly and articulately on the topic. The debate was broadcast on BBC parliament. Every student involved agreed that it was an incredible event to be a part of and every student was an absolute credit to the Academy. Hopefully this won't be the last time we see an HCACP student sitting on the benches of Parliament!

So what has Debating done for the students of HCACP? It’s demonstrated that when it comes to even the most traditionally elite of disciplines, it doesn’t matter what school you go to or what kind of background you’re from – intelligence, courage, perseverance, wit, and passion are all qualities that our students have in abundance. Through embracing these opportunities, our students have had once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to excel and succeed and we intend to ensure that these opportunities are grasped with both hands.

Mr Comerford