For the last 13 years, Robert Clack’s Debate Society Junior Squad has been working in conjunction with the organisation Debate Mate. 'Debate Mate is a unique, international educational charity dedicated to improving social mobility using cost-effective peer-to-peer debate mentoring’ The Debate Mate programme provides our school with university students who train our students in Years 7-10 how to debate. Along with the skills provided by Debate Mate each year they run two national competitions, the Urban Debate League and the Debate Mate Cup.

 

Throughout our partnership with Debate Mate, Robert Clack has been involved in a number of show debates for organisations such as Sky News and the Premier League. In addition the Junior Debate Squad debated for the Attorney General at 11 Downing Street. It was through this outreach programme that Robert Clack won a televised debate about the reformation of the House of Lords. In addition have been national champions multiple times. In 2017, Robert Clack won all competitions with Debate Mate as well as winning The Big Debate which was judged by Bill Gates.

 

Since the launch of the Debate Mate charity, Robert Clack has been and continues to be one of most successful state schools in the Britain for Debate, we are currently Debate Mate National Champions and most recently represented the United Kingdom in the PDA World Schools Congress Debate Competition in Japan.

 

When our students graduate from the Debate Mate programme and move over to Upper School, our students continue with debate as members of the Robert Clack’s Senior Debate Squad.

 

Students continue to represent the school through University run competitions such as, Oxford Schools and Cambridge Schools, where we reach the finals day of both competitions in 2015. Alongside the British Parliamentary debate competitions, the Senior Squad also take part in, Mock Trials, the ESU Public Speaking competition and are once again, regional finalists in this years ESU Schools Mace competition.

Along with Debate Mate, our Debate Society are also regular participants in the Global Classrooms Model United Nations, where pupils work to on ways to resolve global issues such as climate change, poverty and women's issues. As with other aspects of Debate our pupils are incredibly successful in this style of debating, the work and effort they put into the preparation, through research and writing position papers and then debating the knowledge they have acquired. Pupils regular win the accolades of Best Delegate, Best Position Paper and Distinguished Delegate. As a result of their fine efforts Robert Clack was names Best Delegation in both Summer and Winter Mulberry MUN Conference in 2018. 

 

Through the Skills for Life programme at lower school and as a part of core lessons 6th Form cohort benefits from having Debate included in their curriculum. Debate being both a curricular and extra-curricular activity has proven to be of huge benefit for our students, not only does it allow for our squad members to improve their confidence but it has also been proven that debate supports literacy and oracy progression. Debate is particularly useful in supporting success in English, Religious Education, History, Sociology and Psychology.