Batley Girls’ pupil to represent school at regional Great Debate 2026 final

At the end of November, Year 10 to Year 13 pupils at Batley Girls’ High School took part in the prestigious public speaking competition run by the Historical Association, open to all schools in the UK.

The regional qualifying event has been hosted at the Windmill Lane school for three years, with learners competing at local, regional and national levels.

And students at Batley Girls’ won the local heat, progressing them through to the regional final later in 2026.

18 students from Batley Girls’, Batley Grammar and Heckmondwike Grammar participated this year, each delivering a five-minute speech and responding to the question, how important are personal and public records as evidence for explaining the story or stories of your local area?

Judging was carried out by academics from Leeds Beckett, Huddersfield and Bradford universities.

The debating competition extends beyond the event itself with weeks of extensive independent preparation and research, drawing on discussion with peers, local history, library resources, National Archives’ resources and Historical Association guidance.

They prepared for the debate by holding peer critique sessions in the school library, with a specific focus on clear communication and strong oracy – valuable, transferrable skills that will help them in all life stages and experiences.

Amy Wilby, Assistant Head at Batley Girls’ said: “The competition provided a valuable platform for our young people to speak eloquently about the importance of historical sources in telling local history stories.

“The overall winner was a Year 11 learner from Batley Girls’ High School, who will now go on to represent the school in the regional final.

“We are incredibly proud of her achievement. As well as the three participating schools, the event also featured excellent contributions from guest speakers from Field Lane School, who impressed both contestants and judges with their thoughtful and persuasive speeches.”