St Catherine’s Debating Society is held on Thursdays at lunchtime and is a popular co-curricular activity. The school runs a House Debating Competition and the students compete in national debating competitions. It is not difficult to understand the appeal of debating and its relevance to contemporary education: the students are able to learn the skills required to speak in public, the art of reading an audience’s reactions, the willingness to hear another’s arguments and to think on their feet in formulating a response.