On Wednesday 17th May Abbey Multi Academy Trust held their first inter-Trust Debate Competition. The Competition marks a significant development for our family of secondary schools as all three academies were brought together to debate topics varying from the entitlement to online privacy to whether couples should be allowed more than 2 children in the face of a climate emergency.
The Competition demonstrated the impact that our journey to becoming a 'Talk-Rich Trust' is having on our young people, with students from Abbey Grange Church of England Academy, Bishop Young Church of England Academy, and Lightcliffe Academy showcasing their exceptional oracy skills across three debate topics.
Teachers across all three academies had been supporting their students in the weeks leading up to the event, introducing the speakers to the rules of debating, preparing opening presentations, and learning how to respond when put 'on the spot' but questions from both judges and audience members.
The winning team was Abbey Grange, with the Best Debater award going to Daisy Arnold from Abbey Grange. Finlay Massay from Bishop Young and Lilly Sullivan from Lightcliffe were recognised as best speakers from their teams. The judging panel consisted of our Ms Garrett (co-CEO and Director of Education), Mr Cooper (Executive Principal - Secondary), and Mr Popper (Trust Strategic Lead for Assessment). Mr Popper commented "It was a real privilege to be part of such a worthwhile and enjoyable event, and the judges were all incredibly impressed by the high level of oracy demonstrated by all who participated".
