ISSOS - International Summer Schools For 13-18 Year Olds
Debating Summer School Program at Saint Andrews, Cambridge
- Saint Andrews, United Kingdom
- Cambridge, United Kingdom
Summer Course
DURATION
3 weeks
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
31 May 2026
EARLIEST START DATE
28 Jun 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 7,900 / per course *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* 7900 GBP for st andrews or cambridge
Key Summary
Debate Summer Programme
Debate at ISSOS gives students essential skills for academic success and beyond. The class teaches the rules and format of British Parliamentary Debate, and covers everything from basic introductions and speech delivery to advanced argument structures and theories.
Over three weeks, students will build confidence in public speaking, master persuasive language, and sharpen their critical thinking abilities by examining world issues from multiple perspectives.
The session ends with our exciting Final Night Debate event, where the best and most improved students from the class will be chosen to take part, forming teams to showcase their skills in front of the entire summer school community.
This class is suitable for complete beginners and experienced debaters.
Benefits of Debate at ISSOS
- Develop critical thinking skills
- Become a confident and effective communicator
- Learn to form arguments and improve essay structure
- Learn about different perspectives
- Build leadership skills
- Debate in the historic debating chambers of St Andrews, Cambridge and Yale
- Learn about interesting and relevant current affairs topics
- Develop valuable transferable skills
- Highly qualified and experienced debate coaches
What Students Will Learn
From essay writing and presentations, to critical thinking and team work, the skills students learn in our summer Debate programme will benefit them in lots of areas of school and university life.
Throughout our three-week Debate course, students will develop public speaking skills, master the art of persuasive language, and practise active listening. They will learn how to identify good sources of information and build strong, convincing arguments. The course also teaches students how to analyse complex world issues and understand that there are always different perspectives to consider.
Essential debating techniques will be covered and students will learn how to grow their stage presence, improve voice projection, and develop effective body language. Teamwork will also play a big part, as students work together to win debates.
At the end of the programme, our debate coaches will choose the students who demonstrate the best or most improved debating skills. These students will have the chance to compete in our exciting Final Night Debate, where teams battle it out in front of the entire summer school. Even if they are not selected for the final debate, all Debate students will play an important role in the event, either by helping to judge or taking part in floor speeches.
*Before arrival, any students with English as a second language will be asked to complete a British Council English Language Test. We do this to make sure that everyone is in a suitable class and will get the most out of their time at ISSOS.