‘It is our moral responsibility to welcome refugees to this country’ was the complex and controversial topic our Year 7s had to grapple with in their recent debating competition, and they most certainly did not disappoint.
Even though it was the first time they had participated in the debating competition, the teams were very well prepared and were able to discuss a superb range of different perspectives, all as part of our Refugee Week Focus Week.
The overall results saw the Johnson team of Eva Parry, Isla Luckhurst, Ava Shaw and Florence Yates as the winning team, with Garrick coming a very close second place. In fact, there was just one point in it! The external judges, Gill Stockdale (Greywood Trustee) and Greg Sugden (School Governor), awarded the Most Valuable Debaters award to Jackson Davies (7G1) and Eva Parry (7J1).
Sam Sullivan, Assistant Headteacher, said, “Even though this was their first debate, the students showed excellent debating skills. They listened carefully to the arguments put forward and were able to respond appropriately. Their preparation showed they had thought carefully about a wide range of issues in regards to this topic.”
