Writes Emilie Danis, Head of French
On Tuesday, four Taylors’ pupils achieved remarkable success at Les Joutes Oratoires, a prestigious French debating competition where no less than 57 teams were entered. Sam W. (U6th, Sam D. (U6th), Dominic D. (U6th) and George T. (U6th) represented the school with exceptional skill, composure and intellectual maturity—demonstrating not only impressive debating ability, but the rare talent of arguing complex motions entirely in French.
Competing against some of the most renowned schools in the country, including Eton College, St Paul’s Girls’ School, St Paul’s School, King’s College School Wimbledon and Hampton School, the boys faced challenging and provocative motions. These included ending mass tourism, legalising surrogacy in France, and assessing whether the rise of social media “influencers” is beneficial to society. Preparing arguments on such sensitive topics is demanding in any language; doing so in French—under time pressure and before expert judges—requires remarkable linguistic command and intellectual agility.‑media “influencers” is beneficial to society. Preparing arguments on such sensitive topics is demanding in any language; doing so in French—under time pressure and before expert judges—requires remarkable linguistic command and intellectual agility.
These results stand as a testament to the boys’ dedication, intellectual curiosity, and exceptional linguistic talent. They have done the school proud and set an inspiring example for all aspiring linguists and debaters at Taylors’.
The judges praised all four pupils repeatedly for their fluency, clarity of thought and ability to structure persuasive arguments with sophistication and nuance. Their mastery of French—idiomatic, accurate and delivered with confidence—was consistently highlighted as outstanding.
Both Taylors’ teams swept all three of their debates haut la main, securing decisive victories throughout the competition. In the final rounds, Dominic and George earned a well deserved Bronze Award, while Samuel W. and Sam D. triumphed in the Platinum division. Their final debate was particularly noteworthy: given only fifteen minutes to prepare, they produced a compelling defence of the motion « la fin justifie les moyens », a challenging philosophical stance to argue even in one’s native language.‑deserved Bronze Award, while Samuel
Their success means that Samuel W and Sam D will now represent the school at the National Finals that will take place at the end of March at L’Institut français—an exceptional achievement that reflects not only their hard work but also their linguistic excellence.
