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KMAT Great Debate 2026: The Road to the Grand Final

The 2026 edition of the KMAT Great Debate is officially underway — and this year, the Key Stage 3 competition is bigger, louder and more ambitious than ever.

Re-branded as the KMAT Great Debate: Coventry and Warwickshire, the Qualification Tournament saw schools from across the region battle it out across three fiercely contested events. Alongside our Coventry and Warwickshire schools, a growing number of teams travelled from beyond the county, demonstrating just how quickly the KMAT Great Debate is expanding.

The Students Behind the Debate

While the debaters may have been the ones stepping into the ring, the tournament simply would not have happened without the Sixth Form students of Kenilworth School.

The vast majority of the competition was organised, managed and judged by our own students, supported by just a small number of staff. Their professionalism, enthusiasm and willingness to take on responsibility earned widespread praise from visiting schools.

For Kenilworth School, this is a source of immense pride. Our Sixth Form students didn't simply help run the KMAT Great Debate — they made it happen.

Three Tournaments, One Goal

The three Qualification Tournaments brought together a fantastic mixture of returning schools and KMAT Great Debate debutants, with teams travelling from across Coventry and Warwickshire and further afield.

The first tournament was opened by The Rt Hon Sir Jeremy Wright, Conservative MP for Kenilworth and Southam, who spoke passionately about the importance of debate and, in particular, the need to listen to an opponent's argument. He stayed to watch several debates and was clearly impressed by what he saw.

Taking to social media, Sir Jeremy said of the competition that “debating builds confidence, listening skills and respect for other people's opinions, which are skills for life.” He said a “Huge thanks to all the judges who volunteered their time. Good luck to all students taking part!” Those students in attendance appreciated the opportunity to speak with a sitting MP, and his presence added to the sense that the competition is starting to register on a national level.

The Mayor of Kenilworth, Alison Insley, also attended ahead of her role as a Grand Final judge, while His Majesty's Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire, Tim Cox, joined the second tournament in preparation for his own judging role.

Our out-of-county schools also made a significant contribution, with visiting schools providing teams and, in several cases, Sixth Form judges to support the competition.

Every debater had been given six potential topics in advance, and the preparation was obvious. Students arrived ready to argue, challenge, question and — most importantly — listen.

There were plenty of memorable exchanges, but one topic proved particularly entertaining: potholes. It is difficult to imagine many rooms full of Key Stage 3 students giving potholes quite so much airtime, but the resulting debates were both entertaining and impressive.

The Road to the Grand Final

When the preparation notes were packed away and the scores were counted, ten Coventry and Warwickshire schools earned their places in the Grand Final, joining hosts Kenilworth School and Westwood Academy.

The results were remarkably close, underlining just how competitive this year's tournament has been.

For our guest schools from outside the county, the competition continued in their own tournament, with Royal Grammar School Worcester finishing with an impressive points total. More importantly, each of our guest schools has secured a bye into the 2027 National Showcase, continuing the KMAT Great Debate's expansion beyond Coventry and Warwickshire.

October 14th: The Final Countdown

The Grand Final will be a very different proposition. Each school will select just four debaters, who will compete in group stages before the top two from each group progress to the knockout rounds.

Eventually, only one student will remain.

One school will be crowned KMAT Great Debate: Coventry and Warwickshire champions.

And one student will earn the title of Coventry and Warwickshire's greatest debater.

The arguments are being prepared. The debaters are ready.

Wednesday 14 October can't come soon enough.