Graveney School in Tooting played host to over 300 hundred students aged 15 to 18, from across London and Surrey on Wednesday 1 November.

They had travelled up to 20 miles to take part in a debate on World War 1 – the second of a series of six debates being held across the UK in 2017/18.

The debate series, which is in its second year, has already seen hundreds of young people from across the UK get involved. The events, organised by the Department for Education, are free and open to all state schools. With studies showing an increasing detachment between young people and the World Wars, they have been created to increase young people’s engagement with WW1 as a subject and their appreciation of its lasting legacy on today’s society. 

The event, which took the format of a ‘Question Time’ style debate, was chaired by Newsnight’s Mark Urban and saw military and social historians and museum representatives join students from across London and Surrey to discuss the role WW1 played as a vehicle for seismic social change. 

Joining Mark Urban on the panel were: 

• Charlotte Czyzyk; Lives of the First World War, Public Engagement Manager at the Imperial War Museums
• Professor John Horne; Professor of History and Director of the Centre for War Studies at Trinity College, Dublin
• Dr Naomi Paxton; Researcher, Writer and regular contributor to BBC Radio Four’s Making History and Woman’s Hour
• Professor Alison Fell; Professor of French Cultural History at the University of Leeds

Students at the event learnt how the war had impacted everything from women’s rights and role in society through to housing (with the Homes Fit for Heroes election of 1918) and medicine, with the adoption of life saving practices such as giving and storing blood.

Aslan Warburton, a Year 12 student at Graveney School, commented, “Hearing the views of well respected experts and seeing artefacts and uniforms from the war really helped bring what we’ve been learning about to life.  I knew that World War 1 was a defining moment in history but I’d never fully appreciated the way it continues to shape our lives today.  It’s made me want to find out more about the war and its impact on our society.”

Last year 90% of students that attended a debate rated them as ‘good’ with 94% of teachers saying it had helped their students reflect on WW1 from a variety of standpoints. 97% of teachers also said they would recommend the event to colleagues.

Mark Urban said, “It was fantastic to see how involved all the students got in tonight’s debate. The energy and fresh perspectives they brought to the evening were inspiring and show just how much they have to contribute to this important on-going debate.”

Patrick McCrudden, History teacher at Graveney School, commented, “Tonight has been quite emotional. It has been wonderful to see hundreds of young people so engaged with a debate on World War One and to hear that the event has had a lasting impact on their desire to learn more about this important moment in our history.”

The WW1 debates series has already visited schools in Manchester and will now visit schools in Brighton, Birmingham, Bristol and Cambridge.