Big Think at Jubilee Primary School is all about our children:

• Having a voice.

• Learning how to improve their speaking and listening skills.

• Developing their confidence as they become effective communicators.

• Turning facts and statistics into a strong argument.

Our children learn how to debate as they discuss topical issues. Our aim is to help them acquire the ability to see one statement or idea from various perspectives, through critical thinking, critical listening and critical speaking.

The topics for conversation are always about subjects that are close to children’s own experience and are questions led by them.

We encourage them to speak with the right pace, tone, language and body language to engage an audience and convey their argument.

We help our children to learn to structure their speaking to begin to know when to say the things they want to say and how to do this to get their point across.

We believe that enabling our children to see things from a range of perspectives is a real life skill that will help them as they move on into secondary school and beyond.

Recent research from the University of Bedfordshire revealed that learning to debate can improve children’s SATs results by between six and 19 per cent in all subjects.

The following are some of the subjects our children have chosen to debate:

• Should we have homework?

• How can we stop rough play?

• Why are lots of wild animals kept in a zoo and not allowed in the wild?

• Why do people play sport and sometimes get hurt?

• Why are people sometimes unkind to each other?

• Why are children not allowed to drive?

• Why can some people run faster than others?