The day began a little later than usual at Jowett yesterday with registration being pushed back so the students could have a Sunday morning lie-in.

Not all of our students stayed in bed though, some early birds were up at the normal time to take advantage of the quiet and get some homework done. Our debate team was amongst those up early, using the morning to have a final run-through of their speeches before the Great Debate in the afternoon.

The debate was held in the Sheldonian Theatre, a striking setting that ensures all our speakers will have an afternoon to remember. 

Before our students began speaking, they had a short talk from our guest speaker, the ex-presenter of The Gadget Show, Jason Bradbury. As our debate was focused on technology, Bradbury was a perfect choice for a guest speaker and he set the stage wonderfully for our students.

The motion for the debate was “this house believes the robots are taking our jobs”, a subject which is relevant to current students all over the world as they think about their futures. It was clear that the subject was close to heart for our students too as they all made very emotionally-charged speeches. 

Every student spoke with great intelligence and eloquence, thoroughly impressing the staff and earning a loud round of applause. One student stood out though: Dimitrios from Jowett was awarded Best Speaker for his engaging and insightful speech. Well done Dimitrios!

In the evening, the students celebrated their win by cracking out some microphones and trying their hand at some karaoke. Whether the performances were soulful or cheesy, they all had our students cheerful and laughing – it was a great way to end the week!