We were delighted to be able to host heats of the Historical Association’s public speaking competition, The Great Debate, at the University of Lincoln in mid-January and equally happy to learn that the winner of the heat, Erica Wright of William Farr School, Welton, was one of the runners up in the national final, which was held at Vicars’ Hall at Windsor Castle on 23 March 2024!
At our Lincoln heats we welcomed 7 schools from across Lincolnshire (up from 6 in the 2023 heats), with 26 speakers. Students attended from the following schools:
- Franklin Sixth Form College, Grimsby
- Queen Elizabeth’s High School, Gainsborough
- Carres Grammar School, Sleaford
- The King’s School, Grantham
- William Farr School, Welton
- Sir John Nelthorpe School, Brigg
- Sir Robert Pattinson Academy, North Hykeham
The heats were preceded by an interactive lecture by Dr Tom Bishop, a specialist in modern American history at the University of Lincoln.
The speakers were asked to respond to the following question in a talk of up to 5 minutes (without visual aids): Which historical place or person from your local area deserves greater recognition? The judges were hugely impressed with the research that the students had undertaken, the clear and confident manner in which they delivered their talks, and the fact that they all managed to keep to time.
Speakers were asked to explore the local history of their area or region in all of its diversity or singularity to identify a person or place that has contributed to the world that we live in today and should be better known.
Students do not use props or slides of any kind and rely entirely upon how well they present their argument, demonstrating their research and full understanding of their chosen topic and its wider impact. The judges ask at least one relevant question of the students at the end of each talk.
The branch would like to thank the School of Humanities and Heritage at the University of Lincoln for supporting the event and providing the judges. And massive thanks must also go to the teachers and parents who ferried students from all corners of Lincolnshire in the dead of winter!
Learn more about the Great Debate, including the 2025 topic here: https://www.history.org.uk/secondary/categories/514/news/4285/the-great-debate-final-2024
If you or your school are interested in taking part in next year’s heats in Lincoln, please email Prof. Jamie Wood on jwood@lincoln.ac.uk.
And you can read a some of the speeches that were delivered by the speakers at the Great Debate page on our website.
City of Lincoln Branch, Historical Association 