Debate Mate at Ravenor

At Ravenor, we provide our children with a range of opportunities to develop our school values of being respectful, responsible, resourceful, reflective and resilient individuals, who can thrive in difficult situations so they are fully prepared for their journey as life-long learners.

Joining Debate Mate in 2021 gave us the ideal opportunity to provide our Year 5 and Year 6 children with the chance to learn debating skills, which can be transferred to all aspects of their learning.

Members of our Debate Mate club are taught by university students who are able to share their own wealth of debating experience in the weekly sessions. Each week, the children are taught specific skills to help them formulate well-thought through arguments in order to get their points across to a wider audience. Our Debate Mate club aims to develop and improve children’s speaking and listening skills as well as develop their leadership, teamwork and confidence. Additionally, the children have the chance to engage with the world beyond their own classrooms as they explore and address issues that affect us all within our our own communities and across the wider world.
Moreover, the debaters are given opportunities to represent the school in London-wide debates and in national competitions.

The club runs for 14 weeks of teaching sessions, after school, and it culminates in a Debate Mate Cup competition against schools from across the UK. Within the 14 weeks of teaching sessions, the children also have the opportunity to participate in the Urban Debate League against other London schools, of which the top 10 schools participate in the Urban Debate League Final, which is held at a different prestigious location each year.

Debating is for everyone, and at Ravenor, we believe that everyone should have the chance to learn new skills so can continue to thrive as respectful, resourceful, resilient, responsible and reflective young people.


Ravenor's Results in London and National Competitions

2021-2022 Ravenor ranked 4th in the Urban Debate League Grand Final, held at the University of Westminster

2022-2023 Ravenor ranked 3rd in the Urban Debate Mate Cup, held at Oxford University

2022-2023 Ravenor ranked 1st nationally in the Urban Debate League Grand Final, held at Parliament; our team won the trophy.

2023-2024
In March 2024, after round 2 of the Urban Debate League competitions, Ravenor ranked 2nd in London, out of  31 schools and 4th nationally, out of 56 schools. Ravenor have made it through to the Urban Debate League Grand Final which is being held later in the year.