On Wednesday 11 February, our NLCS team won the London Regional Philosothon, hosted by Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith. The students will now progress to the national final at Stowe School in April, a testament to their clarity of thought, collaborative spirit and intellectual courage.
Throughout the day, the girls engaged with some beautifully challenging questions: Does quantum physics suggest that reality depends on perception? Is a world without pain and suffering truly desirable? What distinguished their performance was not simply confidence at the microphone, but the habits of mind that philosophy cultivates so powerfully — Socratic dialogue, careful listening, precise reasoning and the ability to build ideas with both rigour and generosity.
These habits sit at the very core of Raising Voices, our oracy strategy, grounded in the belief that learning to speak well is inseparable from learning to think well — and from learning how to disagree with precision, clarity and warmth.
The competition brought together strong teams from seven other schools, including St Paul’s Girls’ School, St Paul’s School and City of London School for Girls, creating a vibrant atmosphere of shared curiosity and thoughtful debate.
Individual Honours
Mia (Year 10) — Highest individual score of the day
Izzy (Year 11)
Miraya (Year 11) — Competed up an age group
Team Going to the National Final
Year 9: Krisha, Aditi
Year 10: Mia, Ella
Year 11: Izzy, Miraya, Angelina, Iris
Year 12: Aaliya‑Zarah, Lana
We are proud of the way the students represented our school — with intelligence worn lightly, with generosity in discussion, and with the curiosity to ask the difficult questions.
Our warm thanks to Latymer Upper School, and to the judges and organisers, for an energising celebration of philosophical thinking.
