Debating Club

• Debating is a fun and educational enrichment activity and is the perfect way to focus students’ interest in debating. It plays a leading part in the College’s culture, meeting regularly during term time and is a very popular activity. Debates centre around topical issues chosen by the students.

• promotes students’ communication skills and ability to think quickly
• encourages critical and creative thinking abilities
• challenges existing views and opens up new ideas and arguments
• benefits the wider school culture
• is good fun!

Students at CTC can play an active role in running and promoting the debating society within the College, enabling and encouraging them to take on leadership roles at an early age. Teaching staff also become involved as guest speakers and participants from the floor.

Recent topics for debate have included:

• ‘This house believes A.I. (artificial intelligence) should be developed as quickly as possible.’
• ‘This house believes that cyber bullying should be an offence, and should be punished in the same way as other crimes against the person’
• ‘This house believes that Christmas should be abolished’
• ‘This house believes in the freedom to say and publish anything, even if this offends a person’s religion’

Our Debating Society has entered competitions, and recently took part in the 2015 Debate Mate Schools event, taking a team to Deloitte’s London Headquarters, where members were involved in a debating competition, competing in four rounds of British Parliamentary debating, and culminating in a Grand Final.

This year the Debating Society also hosted a Hustings event, in which we welcomed the four main parliamentary candidates for the Central Croydon constituency to debate issues in the lead up to the 2015 General Election.

So come, join and be part of this active and excellent College society!