As one of a series of case studies, highlighting how schools encourage debate outside of formal comeptitions such as Debating Matters, we interviewed competition co-founder David Perks to find out why he thinks schools debating is so important.

Speaking of his reasons for establishing a debating club at Graveney School a decade ago, David stresses that he isn’t:

”...training his students to understand a particular debate format, but rather in critical thinking skills - about how to form and develop an argument. This was one of the key motivators in establishing the Debating Matters format - privileging content over format.”

Read the full interview, and see all of our current Schools Case Studies.

Since the interview David has gone on to found a new free school in London, the East London Science School. For more information about the school, and why David left Graveney School to establish it, see their website by clicking on the logo below.

FURTHER HELP

We want to hear about debate in your school. If you have a story to tell us about how debate takes place in your school, and how you make it happen, let us know. Contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).