Our team

The Noisy Classroom’s founder and lead trainer is Debbie Newman. Debbie has experience of coaching speech and debate around the world at all levels. She is a previous English national debating champion, president of the Cambridge Union Society and world champion schools debate coach. She has been on the faculty of the World Debate Institute, the International Debate Academy (IDAS) and the UK Debate Academy and is a former Head of the Centre for Speech and Debate at the English-Speaking Union in London.

Debbie is a qualified secondary teacher and her focus is on speaking and listening in schools: both working with children, from 8-18, and also working with teachers to help build their skills and confidence. She has been a trustee of the English Speaking Board, a City Lit tutor, a primary school governor and a Speech and Debate committee member at the English-Speaking Union.

Alison is passionate about oracy and communication, in all its forms, and has worked in this area for over 25 years. A graduate of the University of Lancaster, with Joint Honours in English and Drama, she ran her own Speech and Drama business for 17 years, preparing students for examinations, festivals and drama school. Alison has worked in several schools teaching Speech and Drama and spent ten years as the Business Development Advisor for Speech with the English Speaking Board, also writing their three accredited debating qualifications during her time with the awarding organisation.

As well as the above, Alison has been lucky enough to travel across the UK and internationally as a trainer, assessor and judge for ESB, PiXL Up for Debate, The BPW and others. Highlights have included time spent working in The Channel Islands, Belgium, Malta, Poland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Shanghai and Trinidad and Tobago.

Harold was a member of the Centre for Speech and Debate at the English-Speaking Union, working on the London Debate Challenge from 2004-7, before joining the National Theatre, where he was nominated for a BAFTA for his online educational filmmaking.

He’s worked with the Noisy Classroom for over 14 years. He’s particularly proud of his work on our Up for Debate programme with the PiXL Club, where he wrote and design the original scheme of work and handbooks for teachers, and created several hours of high-quality video content. This includes his starring roles as opinionated academic ‘Professor Ivan O’Pinion’ and matter-of-fact journalist ‘Hugh de Syde’ in the programme’s introduction to debating for Key Stage 3 pupils.