A Proud Tradition at BCS
Program Overview
Regardless of experience or ability, BCS encourages all students interested in extending their thinking and speaking skills to take part in these extracurricular activities.
In primary, both activities take place in class time, with writing and giving speeches part of the literacy syllabus for Years 3 to 6. Extensive classes are run to introduce these skills across those years, with a public evening held where the more enthusiastic and able twenty students share their ideas with the community. Debating training and workshops are offered for all students in Years 4, 5 and 6 who volunteer to take part.
In secondary, public speaking preparation has some class time. Debating practice is conducted one afternoon a week after school. The day of the week is negotiated between the students and Julian Davies, our coach and coordinator for these activities. Debating workshops are offered for all students.
The school includes as many children as possible in training for these activities. The skills involved help in other aspects of independent thinking, literacy, essay writing and team work throughout a student's school life. The most committed and able can go on the represent the school at competition level. Every year across the school, eight students in public speaking and up to forty in debating are chosen to represent BCS in inter-school competitions.
In recent years, Braidwood Central School students have achieved at an extremely high level in both public speaking and debating. Our students have reached the regional finals in primary debating (2013 and 2018), the regional finals in primary public speaking (2014, 2017 and 2018) and the state finals (2010). In secondary public speaking our students have reached the state semi-finals (2014 and both junior and senior in 2017 and 2018). In secondary debating, individual students have been selected regularly for the state finals on five occasions (2013-17), and two teams have reached the state finals, including our Year 11/12 team reaching the state quarter-finals in 2016. Not only have many of our students shown great skill in imaginative and profound critical thinking, they have often addressed challenging social issues with great perspective.