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Debate Mate
Talent and Skills
Impact for scaleups
197
Primary and secondary schools covered in the last 12 months
4,512
Students reached per teaching week
97%
of pupils more likely to put ideas forward when working in a group
86%
of students felt more confident speaking up in class
130
schools participated in the nationwide schools debate initiative on key global issues
Key sectors
Debate Mate’s school debating clubs improve social mobility and enhance key employability.
Since 2007, Debate Mate has been delivering school debating clubs that enhance social mobility and build essential employability skills. Operating in areas of high social deprivation, the programme equips students with key transferable skills, including teamwork, communication, core confidence, problem-solving, and critical thinking.
Debate Mate develops future-proof skills identified as vital by scaleup leaders. Its curriculum strengthens critical and analytical thinking by challenging students to construct arguments from multiple perspectives, sharpening their judgement, problem-solving, and empathy. A 2025 survey found that 97% of pupils are more likely to put ideas forward when working in a group and 86% are more confident speaking up in class. In addition, 95% of teachers believe that taking part in Debate Mate has accelerated students’ progress in Speaking and Listening and 87% of students were more likely to contribute ideas in group settings
The programme has engaged with over 4,000 students per teaching week across 197 schools, focusing on primary and secondary schools with high levels of free school meal eligibility. The Virtual Core Programme continues to expand Debate Mate’s reach, with students from rural areas competing in the Debate Mate Cup.
In 2025, Debate Mate partnered with Comic Relief and No.10 Downing Street to deliver a nationwide schools debate initiative as part of Comic Relief and the FCDO’s Shifting the Power campaign, engaging thousands of students across 130 schools to debate key global issues. The programme culminated in a Grand Final inside No.10, hosted by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and judged by public figures including Deborah Meaden and DJ Cuppy. The event showcased the power of oracy to elevate youth voices and build leadership, confidence, and critical thinking. It was a landmark moment in putting young people at the heart of national conversations.
Debate Mate Schools is supported through reinvested profits from Debate Mate Ltd, which provides communication and leadership training and is transitioning to a tech-first company integrating AI into skills training. Through Boardroom to Classroom, students engage directly with employers for career insights. Innovative Boardroom To Classroom Programmes, in which students collaborate directly with businesses, were run with PIMCO, Standard Chartered Bank, Salesforce, and Deloitte.
“We have run the Debate Mate programme for many years now- it’s one of the most popular clubs in our school, with almost 60 dedicated students regularly attending last year’s weekly sessions. The programme is empowering for our young people, giving them the tools to express their views and ideas articulately and confidently, and building their social skills as they interact and debate with students from other schools at the local and national competitions. Our current year 11 students were even able to run and judge their own whole school debating competition, with over two hundred students participating in the event, due to the fantastic training they received as part of the Debate Mate programme.”
