Teacher Anisa Khan tells us what her students have got out of debate society and entering the Schools’ Mace
Ask Anisa Khan, social sciences at teacher at Stockwood Park Academy in Luton, to give some examples of students for whom debating has had a positive impact and she seems to have an almost inexhaustible supply. There are the two students who worried that the fact that English was not their mother tongue would hold them back and who ended up winning their round – proof, as Anisa has told them, that, ‘the world has enough barriers as it is, don’t put barriers on yourself.’ There are the students who were too shy to say a single sentence in class, who now take pride in speaking in front of audiences – ‘they’ve grown to believe in themselves,’ beams Anisa. There are the students who have gone on to be part of the school’s student council, and those for whom the debate club activities have acted as a form of re-engagement with academia, when other aspects of school life were not meeting their needs. And then there are students such as Frankie, a founding member of the school’s debate society, who, inspired by some of the conversations held there, and bolstered by the skills and sense of agency she had gained, independently set up and led an initiative for a local homelessness charity NOAH – for which she subsequently won the Community Champion Award at the Luton Youth Conference & Awards (LYCA).
This is all the more impressive when you learn that the school is not only very new to debating, starting its sixth-form society in 2024 (the only debate provision at the time), but also has some significant challenges. Stockwood Park is a large secondary school in one of Luton’s most deprived and diverse neighbourhoods. There are multiple languages spoken at the school (meaning some students struggle with English); students come from multiple faiths, and 40 per cent of the 1,500 pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the 25.7 per cent average. ‘Students do not come from privileged backgrounds,’ says Anisa.
Anisa knows this better than most: she herself was a pupil at the school, later returning as a staff member and beginning to teach there in 2022. Indeed, it was her own experience as a student—frequently getting involved in debate and discussion in class— that sparked her to form the society when she joined the staff. ‘I was always interested in having challenging conversations, and I quickly realise that if you cannot speak for yourself, you cannot stand up for yourself.’
In starting the society, which originally ran weekly in a timetabled enrichment slot for sixth formers, Anisa hopes to teach her students this skill, and many more. Beginning with Cambridge-style parliamentary debating, the club quickly gained traction, with around 40 students regularly attending. Some weeks Anisa organises guest speakers, in others the students themselves debate, with onlookers engaged through offering points of information and by voting for the best side and best speakers etc. On one memorable occasion, the school principal, Mumin Humayun, debated alongside students against the head of sixth form, opposing the motion that this house believes there should be a four-day school week. To his considerable relief, he and his team won.
Topics are broad, from ‘This House would force organisations to place more women in senior positions‘ or ‘This house believes money is the key to happiness’, to ‘This house would legalise prostitution’. ‘Whatever the subject, the idea is always to create a safe space to have difficult conversations,’ says Anisa; ‘a place of mutual respect.’
The club also helps to reinforce the schools’ general oracy expectations, which are embodied through the mnemonic ‘SHAPE’: speak in full sentences, hands away from mouth, articulate, project your voice and eye contact. ‘As well as being an expectation of how students engage verbally, I also see it as building a culture of taking pride in the way that you answer,’ says Anisa. ‘Debate society isn’t just about debating for me, it’s a practice of student voice, a way to develop their confidence and aspirations, and a way of getting them comfortable with constructive feedback. Most of all though, it’s a way of teaching them skills that will help them to thrive in every environment.’
Colleagues have already taken note, setting up debate clubs for younger years, and the school’s 2024 Ofsted inspection noted the society as part of the enrichment supporting a positive culture of belonging at the school. ‘The debate society is the manifestation of my belief that education should empower and enrich every student to find their voice, experience genuine belonging, and recognise their responsibility and power to shape the world around them positively,’ says Anisa.
Sadly, this year, the timetable has been reordered the society now meets every two weeks. Nevertheless, Anisa continues to create opportunities for students beyond the timetable—such as organising an ESU workshop, internal school contests and signing her students up for external competitions, including the ESU Schools’ Mace, something they have particularly enjoyed. ‘The Schools’ Mace was such an enriching experience for my students,’ she says. ‘It gave them a chance to bond with students from different schools they might otherwise not have met and to be part of the oracy/debate community. The sixth formers made it through to the next round which was a proud moment for us all and, even though the younger ones [the Stockwood Park Academy KS4 team] didn’t go through, they were so joyful returning. It was really lovely and very rewarding to see how much they’d enjoyed themselves.’
Picture caption: Stockwood Debate Society Founder & Lead Anisa Khan with debate society members at the Cambridge Union
