The first week of our research project has been inspiring, eye-opening, and thoroughly enjoyable. Starting with the pilot intervention scheme we are running in local primary schools was a really encouraging beginning, with our small group of children highly engaged with the introductory debating club that we’re running. It was a joy to see how quickly they grasped the spirit of debating, and applied this to discuss a wide range of issues, from the ethics of zoos to the merits of drinking Prime.

Delivering this initial session was valuable in helping to inform our wider research chapter, with a focus on the research design of a potential evolution and expansion of our extracurricular intervention. Experiencing the challenge of sticking to a plan was instructive. This is vital for a reliable study outcome, as we need to be able to show the links between the planning stage, the delivery, and the post-programme survey of results. This was perhaps the main challenge of the week, and something that we will take forward to improve on in future sessions.

Learning more about the schools in which we are working was saddening, but highlighted a real opportunity for improvement, and a route to foster healthier relations between out university and the city of Oxford. With educational outcomes significantly below the national average, and indices of deprivation far above the national average, the chance to broaden the provision of extracurricular activities for these children could have a large positive impact.

I am looking forward to building on a positive first week, and working with the rest of my team to continue our research and deliver the remaining extracurricular sessions. Hopefully, in a few weeks’ time, I will be able to come back off the back of a month of productive research and an experience of opening the world of debating up to two local primary schools.