St. Francis Xavier Sixth Form College hosts the Historical Association's The Great Debate

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We were delighted to host London heat of ‘The Great Debate’, organised by the Historical Association, on Tuesday 23rd November. The Great Debate is the Historical Association's annual public-speaking competition for students aged 16-19 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. This year, to mark Queen Elizabeth's II platinum jubilee, each student was required to make a 5 minute speech on the following topic:

The 70-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II has seen global and widespread changes including in: societal infrastructure, industry, rural life, the environment, and ideas: Which changes of the last 70 years have affected your local area the most?

Two of our St. Francis Xavier students took part in the heat, competing alongside students from Tiffin Girls, Tiffin School, Southfields Academy, Orleans Park School and Reed’s School. The competition was judged by Simon Hannah (historian and writer) and Beverley Hillman (Community activist, teacher and Equalities Officer for the NEU). Topics covered diverse areas including crime, the environment, divorce and the police.

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In the end a student from Tiffin Girls walked away with a deserved win. Our students, David and Tahmid,  did an incredible job and the judges and audience were deeply touched by their thoughtful and sometimes highly personal speeches!