Speaker Series Showcase Debate
This term’s special Speaker Series event showcased the calibre of debating at South Hampstead, with a lively discussion about AI.
The South Hampstead Speaker Series was established with the aim of opening doors, hearts and minds, welcoming high-profile speakers to shine a light on diverse topics and perspectives. Previous guest speakers have included the first female Director General of MI5, Dame Stella Rimington; Mark Carney on economic and environmental values; South Hampstead alumna and BBC Europe Editor, Katya Adler; Mishal Husain on challenging inequality; and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe on the power of female solidarity.
This year, we introduced a new format: a showcase debate featuring our own students alongside expert guest speakers. In a packed Waterlow Hall, current and prospective families joined alumnae, staff and partner school pupils to hear from our two teams debating the motion: This House Believes that Artificial Intelligence Will be Good for Education.
Three members of our Head Girl Team and our Director of Teaching were joined by education policy analyst, Tom Richmond, and AI Ethics Strategist, Lena Chauhan. Each speaker gave an impassioned five-minute speech, making well-researched points with clarity and conviction. Despite being assigned to argue for viewpoints they didn’t necessarily subscribe to, our speakers rebutted challenges from the opposing team with impressive mental dexterity, deploying robust facts and well-pitched humour.
Mr Hepburn, our Director of Debate Hub who chaired the evening, commented: “This trio of students started as novice debaters in Year 7 and have become fantastic ambassadors for the power of debate. Quick-thinking, persuasive and open-minded, they exemplify how well our pupils learn to engage with topical issues with fluency, surety and empathy.”
Lena, founder of Rise IQ and co-founder of GEN:R World (Generation Responsible AI), was impressed by our Sixth Formers’ debating skills: “They blew me away with their critical thinking, research depth and articulate arguments. This is exactly what algorithm-resilient young people look like – questioning, challenging, thinking independently about technology’s role in their lives.”
Mrs Paul added: “I am grateful to all our speakers this evening and especially proud of Chiara, Molly and Sophia for speaking with such confidence and poise. A spirit of dialogue, discussion and intellectual energy are hallmarks of the principles we champion here; giving young women a voice is at the heart of everything we do. This event was testimony to the importance we place in oracy education and is a superb example of how our girls develop the requisite skills and self-belief to navigate a complex future.”
There is a thriving culture of oracy at South Hampstead. Public speaking and critical thinking are taught from the Junior School to the Sixth Form, and debating clubs are on offer for all ages and abilities. Through our award-winning Debate Hub initiative, we also host regular competitions and coaching sessions for pupils across the UK, as well as providing resources to hundreds of schools nationwide; the aim is to make high-quality debate accessible to as many young people as possible. South Hampstead was recently named by The Week Independent Schools’ Guide as the ‘best school in the UK for pupil voice.’