What happens during a Festival?
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Facilitate a classroom discussion for one hour per week
Select and teach a one-hour lesson on a different topic in the news each week. Our Topical Talk Festival resources provide everything you need to start engaging classroom discussions.
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Encourage students to join global discussions on a safe online platform
After each lesson, students log on to the Festival Student Hub to share their ideas and opinions with other students from all over the world. Explore the discussions from Topical Talk Festival 2025.
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Engage with events and topic experts
Students can ask questions to topic experts, take part in live lessons and are supported in their online discussions by volunteers from several corporate organisations.
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Help students have their say
In the last few weeks of the Festival, students select a topic they have discussed to create their own Standpoint. A Standpoint is an opinion piece in written, audio or video format. Standpoints are entered into the Standpoint competition. See our 2025 winners.
Who is eligible for the Festival?
The Festival is suitable for students aged 10-16 with B2 or above level English. The Festival prioritises students from underserved backgrounds. For a state/non-fee-paying school, Topical Talk Festival costs £349 (+VAT) per class of 34 students. The price is adjusted depending on your type of school and some subsidised places are available.
