A READING student has taken part in a virtual debate – the first of its kind – to an audience of thousands.
Sam Woolgar, a Year 13 pupil at the Reading campus of OneSchool Global, was joined by fellow pupils from the school’s worldwide network of schools for the Great Debate.
The event saw pupils discuss the efficacy of space exploration and the proposition of removing the competitive element from sports.
It was broadcast to 120 schools in the network, including campuses in the USA, Australia, Italy, and France.
The inaugural debate was put together by OneSchool Global to give its pupils the opportunity to collaborate with each other and help them boost co-operative and public speaking skills.
Sam said that he thoroughly enjoyed the event, particularly for getting to know students from around the world and learning about their unique approach to debating.
He added that debating in front of such a significant audience was nerve-racking but that the experience was very good.
Speaking of Sam Woolgar’s success at the global debate, Wendy Roderick, interim principal at OneSchool Global’s Reading campus, said:
“We are immensely proud of Sam for representing our school on a global stage and he is a credit to our Reading campus and the OneSchool Global community.
“Thinking on your feet under pressure is a brilliant skill and our campus is full of admiration for Sam’s articulate and convincing performance in front of an audience of thousands.”
Kimberley Hutton, OneSchool Global’s Regional Principal for Reading, said: “Our inaugural Great Debate was a resounding success.
“This was only made possible by excellent contributions made by all students, including Sam Woolgar from our Reading campus.
“At OneSchool Global, we empower our students with the skills to drive forward their own learning through our self-directed approach to education.
“Our regional, national and international debates offer pupils the opportunity to put these skills into practice, working with students from across the world to develop their own arguments.
“The high-quality debating on show from our students is also a testament to the excellent work of our teachers whose guidance and support made the event a success.”
“We look forward to holding another global debate in the near future where students from our Reading campus will again have the opportunity to show the country and our global community their fantastic debating abilities.”
OneSchool Global is a global school network with 9,000 students, spread over 120 campuses in 20 countries.
