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Debating in primary school

The benefits of debating

What are the benefits of debating?

Debating provides students with an opportunity to develop many important skills, such as critical thinking, public speaking, research, teamwork and active listening. It can also help students develop their writing and other literacy skills.

Debating encourages students to become aware of world issues and develops their critical analysis. In a debate, you may not always agree with the side you have been allocated. This encourages students to consider ideas and arguments from multiple perspectives, including those that differ from their own!

Offering debating as a co-curricular program in primary schools greatly benefits all students involved.

Benefits of debating

Duration: 04:21

NSW public school teachers describe the benefits they have witnessed as a result of offering a debating program in their school.

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Video transcript: Benefits of debating

FAQs about debating

Who can debate?

In NSW, debating competitions begin in primary school (generally starting in Year 5, but occasionally earlier), and students can continue debating into high school and beyond.

Can you debate competitively?

Yes! Schools in NSW may choose to compete in smaller local competitions and/or state-wide competitions such as the NSW Premier's Debating Challenge. See the 'Debating competitions' section of this page for more details.

Is debating linked to the NSW English syllabus?

Yes, it absolutely is! Possible syllabus links are listed in the section below.

What makes a strong debater?

A common misconception is that you must be a fantastic public speaker to be a debater. However, public speaking is a skill that can be learnt and improved with practice and debates are primarily won on content ('matter'). What you say is much more important than how you say it.

Strong debaters appear in many forms. It is important to remember that a great debater is not necessarily a student who dominates class discussions. Good writers and creative, critical thinkers often excel in debating. They might be the peacemaker on the playground or the student who asks the curly questions. All of these students could be debaters!

What is most important is that students demonstrate enthusiasm, teamwork, and a willingness to persevere and improve.

Syllabus links

NSW English K–10 Syllabus

Debate team training may meet some (or all) of the following Stage 3 English outcomes:

EN3-1A: communicates effectively for a variety of audiences and purposes using increasingly challenging topics, ideas, issues and language forms and features.
EN3-2A: composes, edits and presents well-structured and coherent texts.
EN3-3A: uses an integrated range of skills, strategies and knowledge to read, view and comprehend a wide range of texts in different media and technologies.
EN3-5B: discusses how language is used to achieve a widening range of purposes for a widening range of audiences and contexts.
EN3-7C: thinks imaginatively, creatively, interpretively and critically about information and ideas and identifies connections between texts when responding to and composing texts.
EN3-9E: recognises, reflects on and assesses their strengths as a learner.

You may also find that your debating program addresses syllabus outcomes in other Key Learning Areas.

Debating competitions

What competitions are available?

Depending on your school and region, there may be a number of local competitions for your team to enter.

Some will be very scaffolded and are suited to students who are new to debating. In these competitions, you might be given the topic one or two days prior to the debate and students can prepare with their coach/teacher.

Others (such as the Premier's Debating Challenge) allow one hour for preparation and teams must prepare without a teacher. The Premier's Debating Challenge starts with round-robin debates before progressing to a series of finals.

Make sure you select the competition that suits your school and students. Some schools choose to enter more than one competition if they have multiple teams.

Premier's Debating Challenge

The Premier’s Debating Challenge is run by The Arts Unit and is open to government schools throughout NSW. Select the down arrow for more information.

Teams entering the challenge compete in a round-robin series of debates against nearby schools, with the winners going on to compete at regional and state level to determine the eventual state champion.

Currently, the divisions are:

Years 5 and 6
Years 7 and 8
Years 9 and 10
Year 11 Metro
Years 11 and 12.

For the most up-to-date information, make sure you visit the Premier's Debating Challenge website.

Representative Debating

The Arts Unit also run a number of programs to provide opportunities for exceptional debaters in NSW. Click the down arrow for more information.

The Primary Schools State Debating Championships take place over several days and involve teams of students in Years 5 and 6 from each region of NSW.
The Junior State Debating Championships take place over several days and involve teams of students in Years 9 and 10 from each region of NSW.
The Combined High Schools debating team is open to government school students in Years 11 and 12 who compete in a series of debates against representative teams from non-government schools.

NSW Premier's Debating Challenge finals – primary

NSW Premier's Debating Challenge finals – primary | The Arts UnitGain valuable insights by watching the finals of the NSW Premier's Debating Challenge.

Local debating opportunities

If you are interested in local debating opportunities, you should contact your regional coordinator. Each region differs, but they may offer opportunities such as local competitions, camps, student training days and/or professional learning. Select the down arrow to find your regional coordinator.

Sydney: Rhonda Thomson, Pagewood Public School.
South-West Sydney: Maria Cutri, Greenway Park Public School.
Northern Sydney: Morgan Dibble, Killarney Heights Public School.
Western Sydney: Paul Marshall, Jasper Road Public School.
Hunter and Central Coast: Kristy Bone, Valentine Public School.
North Coast: Karl Morris, Hastings Public School.
New England: Laura Bowman, Nemingha Public School.
Riverina: Megan Hunter, Deniliquin North Public School.
Illawarra and South East: Sharon Bell-Shanks, Jamberoo Public School.
Western NSW: TBC

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English K-10 Syllabus, © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2016, copied under s113P, accessed 20 February 2021.
English K–10 Syllabus, © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2023, copied under s113P, accessed 21 March 2024.

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