We have over a decade of experience running the London Primary Schools Debating Championships, and major secondary school competitions like the PiXL Club’s Up for Debate programme. Now, junior schools can take part in our specially-designed programme which blends pupil workshops for whole classes or year groups, a national championships with heats in your region, and staff CPD to help you and your pupils excel as debaters.
Our debaters really enjoyed the experience and said that they had learnt so many skills through taking part.
Teacher from one of the schools in our 2024 Cicero Cup
Our ambition is to help build a culture of debate in your school by involving as many pupils as possible. We run pupil workshops for whole classes or year groups. We can even organise a debate challenge day in your school, working as a preliminary round to help select your teams.
Up to two teams of 3 to 6 pupils represent your school in an enjoyable and exciting day of debates. Most schools take part in person in a regional venue, but an online option is also available. Teams receive expert feedback from our positive and enthusiastic judges, and make friends with debaters from other schools.
We will be announcing this year’s venues later in September. If you’re keen to host us this year, email debbie@noisyclassroom.com.
Get debating this term with our pupil workshops and CPD, and then welcome other schools to a heat at your school in the spring …
Hosting a heat in the spring term is a perfect opportunity to build links with your own feeder primary schools, and with other schools from further afield …
We’re already working with several MATs, LAs and universities across the UK to host rounds for primary schools in your catchment area …
We can do all the work in organising the rounds, providing high-quality pupil workshops and teacher CPD to the participating primary schools, and running the event. But we do need venues willing to open their doors to the community and help us spread the valuable skills of debating.
Each round needs one (or sometimes two) spaces of classroom size or bigger for three hours during the school day. Read more in our hosting guide.
Interested? Email debbie@noisyclassroom.com to start a conversation about becoming a host …
Whether you’re new to teaching debate, or are an experienced debate coach, we’ll help you move up to the next level. Our team of expert trainers has over 60 years of combined experience in delivering CPD in debating and critical oracy, and you’ll love our clear and exciting handbook and resource bank.
All of our CPD programmes link you and your colleagues up with some of the world’s foremost competitive debaters, international judges and world-leading experts in the pedagogy of critical oracy.
Deadline for registration: Friday 8 November, 2024
If you’ve got any questions at all about the programme, just email debbie@noisyclassroom.com. Especially so if you can’t find a round to suit you, and would like to consider hosting a round at your school, or working with us to find a local partner who might host. We’ll be adding several additional rounds shortly, and would love to makes sure that you’re able to join us this year, wherever your young debaters are based.