Sacred Heart Catholic School is a mixed secondary school in the heart of Camberwell, South London. With over 850 students and a strong Roman Catholic ethos, the school focuses on discipline, structure, and shared purpose. Sacred Heart has worked in partnership with Debate Mate for ten years. What started as an after-school club has become a central part of the school’s culture, shaping confident, articulate, and ambitious young people who thrive far beyond the classroom.
Sacred Heart facilitates both the Core Programme, and the Debate Mate Plus programme at the school. Our Core Programme focuses on building skills through after-school debating sessions for students in Years 7-10. While our Debate Mate Plus programme focuses on transferring those skills into the world of work through partnerships, careers events and competitions with students in Years 11-13. Overall, both programmes are aimed at equipping young people with essential employability skills such as teamwork, leadership, critical thinking, empathy, resilience, communication (speaking and listening), and above all, core confidence.
“Before Debate Mate, I was really introverted,” said Milan, a Year 10 student who’s been in the programme for three years. “I didn’t like speaking publicly at all.” Today, Milan speaks confidently in lessons, is an A* drama student, and credits Debate Mate with helping him improve his improvisation and presentation skills
Leoni, also in Year 10 and now in her fourth year on the programme, echoed this transformation. “My confidence has flourished. I’m able to talk with people on a more intellectual level and share ideas.” She’s more comfortable in discussions, feels able to speak up, and says she now enjoys meeting and debating new people at our competitions.
Teacher Liz Cawley, who has led the programme for the past decade, has seen this change across the years. “Debate Mate gives them the confidence to articulate themselves – to put forward a point clearly and respectfully. It’s not just useful for the debating competitions. It helps in English, RE, History, any subject where they need to make an argument or evaluate ideas.”
The confidence that the students gain from the programme cascades down into their wider school and personal lives. “I’m a peer mentor and an anti-bullying ambassador,” said Milan. “When I get to Year 11, I want to become a prefect – I’ve seen so many students who’ve done Debate Mate go on to become Head Girl or Head Boy.”
Leoni is also a peer educator. “I’ve run assemblies on the risks of smoking and drinking. I help younger students understand how to navigate these challenges.”
That leadership journey continues well into Sixth Form. “Every year we see a significant number of Debate Mate students in the senior team,” said Ms Cawley. “This year, the Head Girl and Head of Junior Council are both former Debate Mate participants. They step up in so many areas of school life, from leading change to planning assemblies and school events.”
Outside the school, students have also led on national and international stages. “We’ve had students debate at 10 Downing Street and even represent the UK at the Dubai World Expo,” said Milan, whose team won the Urban Debate League Round 1 and got to meet the Prime Minister.
These experiences have a ripple effect across the school. “Younger students see what’s possible,” said Ms Cawley. “As soon as they hear about 10 Downing Street, they want to know how to get involved. The energy changes. They see that hard work pays off.”
Debate Mate helps students imagine a bigger future for themselves – whether that’s becoming Head Girl, going to university, or standing on global stages.
Along with the individual accolades over the years, debating is ultimately a team activity. It relies on listening, reacting, and supporting each other to build strong arguments. Milan values the way Debate Mate teaches quick thinking through group games and challenges: “The games are fun, but they’re useful too. They get you thinking on your feet.”
Leoni added: “I enjoy working with others. It gives me different perspectives and helps me improve. We share ideas and respond to each other in a more thoughtful way.”
This collaborative approach spills into other areas of school life. Students become more comfortable sharing responsibility, giving feedback, and planning together, skills that are essential not only for debate, but for the classroom and beyond.
After ten years, Debate Mate is embedded in the culture of Sacred Heart Catholic School. It has supported hundreds of students to speak with confidence. Whether they’re delivering a speech, sitting an exam, or shaping school life, these young people are prepared for the challenges ahead, and inspired to aim higher than ever before.
