All pupils had prepared thoroughly and arrived keen to express their well-prepared arguments and counterarguments. After a warm welcome in K10, language groups split into classrooms to conduct the debates with teacher judges assessing them for depth of content, use of language and efficiency of debate skills. All the judges were extremely impressed with the standard of debating in a foreign language and there were lots of heated, well-researched discussions! There were winners from all the participating schools, but participants mostly enjoyed having the opportunity to have a go and use their language skills in a creative and meaningful way. Well done to everyone who took part!

Mrs Watkins,  Lead Teacher of Language Specialism & Outreach

I enjoyed preparing for the debate as I had plenty of support from both teachers and classmates, and it was very easy to bounce off the ideas my teammates put forward. I thought the debates went pretty well! It was interesting to hear how the other teams communicated their thoughts, as well as with each other; sometimes I needed more time to formulate thoughts, which was a bit difficult when simultaneously trying to listen, but it’s a skill that’s in progress. I believe my confidence in communication has improved somewhat, definitely in the more informal setting when my group and I were warming up before the debate with some German chatter. I think that MFL debates are a really wonderful way to use your language skills, not only in an informal setting, but also about things which you may talk about with other people in real life. It was nice to use some vocabulary which we may use in an English debate to get our points across. Admittedly, it is a little nerve-wracking and intimidating, but I thought it was quite a helpful experience!

Nicole Parboo, Year 12

Overall, I would consider preparing for the debate enjoyable as the preparation of points and exploration of both sides of the argument interested me. It was an amazing experience to debate and engage with other Francophones and to employ my debating skills in another language. The debates themselves were enjoyable and, despite our (in my opinion, undeserved) second place finish, the Bexleian Team fought the hardest and employed intelligent techniques to defend their opinions, and I found that everybody played their part exceptionally well. Furthermore, sharing the passion for debate and foreign languages with students from other schools such as Dartford Grammar and Beths is refreshing, and it is nice to meet similarly interested people. I recommend anybody with an interest in debating or other languages to engage themselves in this competition as it is a memorable experience to prepare and work with classmates.

Antoine Rioland, Year 12

My debating skills in French have improved as I have learnt how to use complex forms like the subjunctive tense and idioms, not only in normal writing but in the debating space as well. In preparation, I collected ideas based on my own opinion as well as what I found on the internet for both for and against. I then formulated these into concise arguments and counterarguments. We had two debates; the first one went really well in my opinion. We worked as a team to counter argue with the other and my points were well-developed. I used three idioms, and I was able to shut down the other team's arguments with my vocabulary. However, in the second debate, I was a bit nervous as the other team's arguments were well-structured and their French spoke naturally, so I hesitated a bit. But later I made my point and used complex vocabulary to express myself. I think people should take art in the debate as they challenge themselves. You can develop the language you are already studying and learn how to debate, which is a vital skill needed in life. Overall, it was a fun experience and I loved that I took part.

Bisola-Rachel Akintoye, Year 12

I felt that preparing for the KS5 Russian debate was a really enjoyable process. Once I had my arguments in place, it was just about thinking through how to respond to possible counterpoints. We all had enough vocabulary to debate freely, which made the preparation more about strategy than memorising phrases. Taking part consolidated my language skills in a technical way, and it gave me a chance to test what I already knew in a completely new setting. It pushed me to think quickly, respond under pressure, and express myself clearly.

The debate itself was high level, and every team brought thoughtful, well-structured arguments. I’d really recommend the MFL debate to anyone who enjoys discussion and wants to try using their language skills in a more creative, real-world context.

Leila Stepanova, Year 12