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About Debating For Everyone

Debating For Everyone is an agency offering training and consultancy for debating and public speaking, founded and led by Julian Bell.

About Julian Bell

Julian Bell was an English teacher for 35 years, and from 2000 to 2021 was Head of English and Debating at Godolphin and Latymer School in London. When he arrived, Godolphin and Latymer had no debating provision whatsoever, but it is now described as a ‘flagship debating school’. As well having run the school’s internal debating programme, which involved nearly one in five of all students, he is also founder and leader of three competitions: the London Junior Debating League (for Years 7-8), involving 24 schools across London, 50% of them from the maintained sector, the London Middle School Debating Competition (for Years 9-11) and the London Sixth Form Debating Competition, for Years 12-13, which attract similar numbers of schools.

Julian works as an oracy trainer for the English Speaking Union and as a judge for the PIXL Up for Debate competition.

In November 2018, Julian gave pro bono training to students at Sacred Heart High School in Hammersmith and Fulham Boys School. In March 2019 , he helped run a London debating tour for students at Hackley School in New York. Godolphin and Latymer School granted him a period of sabbatical leave in June and July 2019 to work on debating projects.  During this time, he offered pro bono outreach training to Holy Family School in Walthamstow, Redden Court School in Romford, Fitzwimarc School in Essex, Sir John Leman School in Suffolk, Brittons Academy in Havering and Orleans Park School in Twickenham. He also set up new debating programmes at Haberdashers Aske's Boys' Prep in Elstree and the German School in Ham, as well as establishing partnerships with two charities: Debating Mental Health and Youth Politics. 

 

Julian adapted to the Covid crisis by moving his debating offer online. Since March 2020, he has run online versions of his competitions, involving schools from the UK, the USA and Spain. He has also run online training courses for students at Sarum Hall School  in London, and Oak House School in Barcelona, as well as private courses online for small groups of students.

Julian is the author of The Debating Book: everything you ever need to know about debating, a how to guide for secondary school student debaters and their teachers, available from Amazon.

 

What Debating For Everyone can offer

 

• Debating training for students. All levels and ages catered for, from an introduction to the basic skills to more advanced and challenging training. Can be offered as a one day workshop, or as part of a more extended training programme over the whole school year.
  
• Setting up and running internal debating competitions either within schools or involving several schools.
• Training in public speaking skills for students or adults, either individually or in groups.
• CPD for staff leading debating, showing them how to set up and run a debating club and establish a debating culture in their school.
• Whole staff CPD on how to use debating within the curriculum.
• Whole staff CPD on oracy within the curriculum.

 

 

What customers say about Debating For Everyone

 

With more than twenty years of debating experience, an unrivalled network of contacts, and a track record of setting up and running many successful and growing competitions, there is nothing that Julian Bell doesn’t know about school debating. Thorough, helpful and inspiring, he ensured our debating programme got off to a flying start, and was constantly available to support us thereafter. Highly recommended!

David Paton, Radnor House, Sevenoaks

We couldn't recommend Mr Bell's workshops enough. He ran two three hour virtual sessions with nearly seventy students at Oak House School in Barcelona, and with great results. The group was a mix of ages, ability and debating experience, yet Julian created a programme which worked for everyone. The students were engaged from start to finish in the activities: an excellent mix of fun, stimulating tasks, and precise, useful feedback. With the virtual context, we had some teachers assisting with group work and feedback, but Julian organised and led all the sessions masterfully. His advice and messages to the students did not lose their clarity and impact. He also took care to consult us carefully on our expectations and objectives for the session, and matched his pace and range of skills and content covered to exactly what we wanted. It was the perfect way to kick-start the year's debating programme.

 

 Mary Murray Brown English Teacher and Oracy Coordinator, Oak House School, Barcelona.

 

My school arranged for Mr Bell to come in to teach our teachers about British Parliamentary style debating and how to judge it so that we can host fixtures of our own and set up our own inter-house debating competition. The session was very informative and useful, providing the teachers with the resources and tools necessary to understand BP debating and judge it to a high standard. Thank you very much!

Joseph Niblett, Tiffin Boys School, Kingston-upon-Thames

My son definitely enjoyed it and felt he got a lot out of it. He’s been debating quite a bit at school, but without really having had much guidance on how, so he felt he’d really benefited from your very high level of expertise.

Parent of participant in online debating course

  

I absolutely loved doing [an online interview] and I honestly put that down to you and just dispelling all of the mystery and fears around public speaking.

 

Orlanda Bryars, Director at Sonar Arts

We were given great tips on debating by Mr Bell. I had a wonderful time.

Year 5 student, Haberdashers' Aske's Boys Prep School, Elstree

It was an amazing experience and I’d love to do it again.  

Year 6 student, Haberdashers' Aske's Boys Prep School Elstree

The children were positively buzzing from the experience, and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to engage in intellectual sparring.

Russell Bloch, Haberdasher's Aske's Boys' Prep School, Elstree

Julian Bell from 'Debating for Everyone' delivered an exceptional workshop to our year 8 students. The sessions were an hour long each where our students learnt how to make compelling arguments and develop their oracy and literacy skills. In the final session six of our students debated in front of their peers and it was brilliant to see their learning put into practice. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day by both staff and students. Thank you Julian!

Nancy Bowler-Ettman, Redden Court School, Havering

It was great having Julian come into school to work closely with our debaters. His workshop really helped to stretch the team to think about motions and how to develop arguments around them. He was able to push debaters that have some experience, but need to get to the next level. 

Alex Lippa, Holy Family Catholic School, Walthamstow

The students learnt a lot and found the motions and topics debated and discussed interesting and challenging. The advice Julian gave on how to develop the Debate Club was practical and achievable.The workshop was very useful and enjoyable for the students. 

Tabitha Buckley, Sir John Leman High School, Beccles

Students interacted with each other about a range of topical issues, competed with each other but in a friendly, fun and civilised environment and got to know other students, in other year groups, who share a similar love of debating. Through engaging activities, students were taught how they can improve their expression and delivery, how to prioritize and fully explain points and how to identify what type of debate a motion might be and the best way to approach that kind of argument.

Sam Knight, Orleans Park School, Twickenham

Very fun and intense workshop.  Learnt a lot and can't wait to continue debating next year! 

The workshop constituted some of my favourite school days of the year! 

I learned a lot of new, useful, debating skills, for example, PEEL, sign-posting and rebuttal.  

Students at The London German School

On the first day, our students were introduced to the key skills needed for debates, which they then practiced in a variety of fun activities.  On the second day, teams of pupils competed in a series of debates about varied and engaging topics. Mr Bell's feedback after each debate was very instructive, allowing the students to improve greatly over the course of the day.  At the end of the course, they were all enthusiastic and eager to do more debating at our school next year. 

Amy Zondermann, The London German School

Amazing workshop! It catered for everyone, from those who hadn’t debated before to those who had been in competitions. Interesting and topical motions which made the day engaging and very interactive. The advice which Mr Julian Bell gave will really help me in the future; in the club and in  competitions. Thank you Mr Julian Bell!

Student at  Fitzwimarc School, Rayleigh

 

Contact

If you would like to know more about how Debating For Everyone can offer you support with debating and public speaking, please email Julian Bell on debatingforeveryone@gmail.com.