For and against: young orators speak up at the Cambridge Union

For and against: young orators speak up at the Cambridge Union

This house believes that junk food should be banned in schools. This house believes that sports teams should be penalised for the criminal actions of their fans. Could you stand up in front of an audience and argue for, or against, one of these motions with just a few minutes to prepare your argument?

A group of year-6 pupils from primary schools in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets did just that earlier this term when they put their verbal skills to the test in a debating workshop held at the world-famous Cambridge Union.

The 60 pupils from 11 different primary schools were the guests of Clare College, where they started their day. After activities and lunch at Clare College the children walked to the Cambridge Union where they were welcomed by Debating Officer, Richard Lau, an undergraduate at Downing College.

The historic setting of the Cambridge Union debating chamber - where past speakers have included Jawaharlal Nehru, the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu – created a sense of awe and excitement.

The pupils watched a heated “show debate” between two undergraduates before being given their own motions to debate. They were allowed ten minutes to prepare their arguments and then stood on either side of the dispatch box to address the house, with Richard Lau acting as chairperson.

It was a daunting challenge but the young debaters embraced it with determination and enthusiasm, injecting their speeches with touches of humour, drama and rhetoric – as our film clip shows.

Debating is strongly encouraged in Tower Hamlets, where the borough’s Gifted and Talented Team organises an annual competition between primary schools as a way of enriching learning and developing critical thinking skills.

Helen Tamblyn, Aimhigher Gifted and Talented Projects Coordinator at Tower Hamlets, explained: “This is the first time we’ve brought pupils to Cambridge and we’ve used the trip as part of the preparations for the contest which ends in June, when our best 12 primary school teams will be competing at the Tower of London.”

Ian Scotchbrook, Deputy Head of John Scurr Primary School in Stepney Green, said: “We had a fantastic day in Cambridge. The children were enthralled by the show debate which gave them ideas to use in their own arguments. The experience of speaking in the Cambridge Union increased their confidence and added another dimension to their understanding of the purposes of debating.”

Clare College has a long-standing relationship with schools in Hackney and Tower Hamlets, two of London’s most deprived boroughs, through the Partnership for Schools scheme. This exists thanks to the generous support of KPMG, Clifford Chance and Morgan Stanley.