A school debate on the nation?s future was carried out with boundless enthusiasm, explains James Hanson
Trying to get children to support a viewpoint counter-intuitive to their natural instincts and first love might be a challenge too far. ?Will you support Chelsea next season"? a teacher asked a pupil. ?No, I won?t. I?ve always been an Arsenal fan, I?d rather eat horse manure* than support Chelsea,? he retorted.
Challenging times
But we do this all the time in teaching, we want to challenge misconceptions and encourage debate. It may seem quite recent that we voted on the future of our EU membership ? but the results have taken all summer to sink in. It wouldn?t surprise me if a Common Entrance history exam in 2020 was set on the events from 23rd June to 1st July of 2016! Before that fateful day, we decided not only to have our own Aldro referendum, but also to work with our boys in Years Five, Six and Seven to help them shape the debate.
We wanted them to understand why we have British values of democracy and the rule of law. So, pupils were set to work researching the arguments for the side they initially felt least inclined to support.
They got to work, and most settled on to their ?new? side quickly. I?m not sure changing football team allegiance is ever easy, and many said they were initially miffed, but then appreciated the challenge.
Planned debate
Seeing one boy in Year Five prowling round the school, holding up a large placard saying ?Vote Leave?, t...