Debate Planet

Debating done differently.

Everything you need to make debating for everyone

Getting to choose the debate motion is highly motivating - and with over 4,000 they won’t run out of choices!
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Roles, rewards and recognition to motivate every pupil

Debate Planet Passports to help pupils track their progress

Children in school uniforms engaged in classroom activity with teacher

A computer screen showing theme selection options alongside a book titled 'Debate Planet Teacher Materials' and an open page with text and icons.

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What’s the story?

Debate Planet has been in the making for over fifteen years. It's the child of three brains.

‍Jason Buckley and Tom Bigglestone work with schools wearing many hats - as experts in Philosophy for Children, metacognition, stretching the more able and outdoor expeditions. Marley Davies is a graduate of philosophy now moving into law who has worked as a nanny to many children who love a playful argument.

We'd facilitated debates with thousands of children - in school, at residential camps or on multi-activity residentials. But the first lockdown of 2020 took us online - and to running Debate Clubs which quickly gained a reputation as a welcoming and stimulating space where children could interact with others, whilst the outside world demanded they keep a distance.

In collaboration with the children, we developed an approach with a clear structure, roles and rewards, but less threatening and more informal than traditional debating formats. We continually added to our stock of debate motions, now the world's biggest collection of things to argue about, the "Motion Explorer". We still use it every week for our online debate classes for 9-12s and teens.

And now, you can get access to everything for your own school debate club, form time activity or oracy curriculum.

Illustration of a "Debate Planet Passport," featuring a cover with a decorative shield and celestial motifs. The inside pages have sections titled "Pronounist" and "Metaphorist," with accompanying illustrations.

Three students in striped blazers stand in front of a projected screen displaying debate motions.

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Group of students in a classroom, some wearing school uniforms with striped blazers, others in white shirts, holding paper and talking.

"I really enjoyed being able to debate about other people’s opinions and seeing how others thought about the different questions. My favourite motion was "This house believes the sword is mightier than the pen." It was interesting to see how their responses differed from mine."

Alex, pupil

What’s The Speakers’ Journey?

Students collect stickers for their speaking and other roles, to move through six stages from Soapboxer to Speaker of the House.

Soapboxer
By collecting the four stickers you need for this stage of debating, you'll be making a great start. Includes stickers for being a Proposer, Opposer, Fencer and Inquisitor.

Wrangler
This stage is about connecting your arguments to those of your opponents, including stickers for being a Builder, Rebutter, Compromiser, and Clarifier.

Wordsmith
This stage is about choosing the words that will get the audience on your side, including stickers for being a Phrasemaker, Pronounist, Painter and Metaphorist.

Logician
This stage is about building arguments that are hard to knock down. Includes being an Exemplifier, Statistician, Reasoner and Citer.

Heartstringer
This stage is about using the emotions of your audience to persuade them. Includes being a Scarer, a Hoper, A Rabblerouser and a Joyspreader.

Speaker of the House
TFor this final stage, you wll help lead your debating group as well as show your skills. Includes being a Researcher, a Coach, A Champion and a Host.

Illustration depicting six stages labeled Soapboxer, Wrangler, Wordsmith, Logician, Heartstringer, Speaker of the House. Each stage features a character in a circle: Soapboxer on a crate with a megaphone, Wrangler with a lasso, Wordsmith in historical attire, Logician with mathematical symbols, Heartstringer playing a heart-shaped harp, Speaker of the House at a podium.

Students in school uniforms engaged in conversation in a classroom setting.

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What about The “Dark Arts of Debating”?

The world is full of people trying to persuade you to buy their stuff, believe their ideas or vote for them. Some stuff, some ideas, and some leaders are rubbish - but that doesn’t mean their arguments will seem like rubbish as well. Bad arguments, cleverly used, can make bad ideas seem good.

Mastering the Dark Arts means exposing when someone has used a debating technique that sounds good on first listen but is really trying to fool people. Collect a sticker when you spot one or when you use it - and extra kudos if nobody notices until you smugly confess!

Of course, we hope you’ll use your knowledge of the Dark Arts purely for self-defence (and other-defence, like when Uncle Bill falls for some crazy conspiracy theory about vaccines and bingo numbers). But it might also be handy for getting an increase in pocket money that’s entirely justified... .

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Student in classroom giving a presentation in school uniform, teacher seated nearby.

""The Debate training. was really valuable. There are few things more effective than teachers being able to observe other teachers (particularly when teaching their classes) to help develop their own practice and build confidence with teaching a subject that they are unfamiliar with."

Crystal Waldmeyer, Deputy Head, Orchard House School

Group of students in school uniforms having a conversation in a classroom.

Sticky Questions

Our year-round, whole school programme. Children take home a juicy philosophical puzzler stuck to their jumper, chat at home and share back at school.

Learn more about Sticky Questions