Children from Outwood Primary Academy have taken part in ‘The Great Debate’ as part of their Year 6 ‘Be a good British and International Citizen’ Diploma work.

The Year 6 children from across the nine primary academies and one junior academy within the Outwood Family took part in The Great Debate in which they learned about the workings of Parliament, and how a Bill becomes law.

The Great Debate took place at Outwood Primary Academy Kirkhamgate, and was broadcast live across the Outwood Family to other Outwood Primaries. 

For The Great Debate, the children had been divided into those in Government and those in Opposition. The debate topic was the subject of a Bill that was making its way through Parliament and House of Commons debating rules were adopted so the children could gain an understanding of how a debate takes place.

The question of The Great Debate was ‘Should more people become vegans?’. The Government were attempting to pass a Bill which supported the position that more people should become vegans.

David Andrews, Director of Primary Curriculum at ���ϳԹ���, said:

“It was great to see the children from across the Outwood Family taking part in The Great Debate. You could see that there was genuine passion present during the debate, as well some impressive levels of knowledge.

“At Outwood, we believe it is vital that our children learn about the key, fundamental British Values and democracy, and events like The Great Debate are an example of how we try and do this.

“The work around The Great Debate has helped the children develop an understanding about the stages a Bill will go through prior to becoming a law, and the work of the Houses of Parliament in general, while also helping them improve their discussion and debating skills.” 

During the morning of The Great Debate, children had been given time to prepare their arguments and rehearse them so that once the debate was underway, all were prepared. 

To mark the start of the debate, a ceremonial mace was put in place, to represent Royal Authority, as seen in the Houses of Parliament.

The debate ended with the traditional call from the Speaker for ‘Ayes’ and Noes’, then once both options were met with calls, the Division Bell was rung. The children across the Outwood Family were then divided, depending on their position, to opposite sides of the classroom. 

After eight minutes had passed, the votes from around the classrooms were collected and the result was returned that the Government had been unsuccessful in passing their Bill. 

After The Great Debate, it had been found that the majority were against more people becoming vegan, but it was acknowledged that people should cut back on their meat consumption.