Teach kids to debate, and you teach them not to be ignored

At a recent debating event in Doncaster, acclaimed children’s author Frank Cottrell Boyce opened proceedings by reminding all present that "if people don’t listen to each other; if people don’t feel listened to, terrible things happen". His example was that of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s driver who didn’t listen to directions, took a wrong turn and presented 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip with the opportunity to assassinate his target, thus triggering World War One.This example might seem extreme but, delivered as it was on the morning after the centennial of Armistice Day, it resonated with all present, namely around 150 Doncaster schoolchildren and their teachers. These schools were not the public or independent schools that have historically dominated school debating events. Instead, they were state-run primary schools with high levels of disadvantage. None had fewer than 30 per cent of students on free school meals (FSM); one had 26 languages in the school with 54 per cent of students speaking English as an additional language (EAL); and teachers spoke openly about the low aptitudes for speaking and listening when students enrolled.