On the evening of Tuesday 2^nd March, a team of St Julie’s debaters (from Years 7 and 8) competed in the Urban Debate Mate League. As part of the competition, which took place via Zoom, our students were given a week to prepare for the topical and thought-provoking motion which was: This house believes that climate activist groups should use radical rather than traditional campaigning methods. 

Being the conscientious individuals that they are, our students set about independently researching the topic at great length. This enabled them to come up with some fantastic points when they debated as proposition members, and scored highly by referencing the historic suffragette movement and the impending crises relating to global climate change. 

As a result of their diligence, they emerged triumphant from their round, after beating an all-boys team from the Alec Reed Academy, near Wimbledon. The judge praised our students for their insightful arguments and impassioned stance on the global climate issue. As you can imagine, we are extremely proud of our students and the commitment that they have shown to Debate Mate throughout the past two terms. Congratulations to the team, including Faye and Eleanor-Rose in Year 7 and Lucy, Lena and Layla in Year 8!