What are Topical Talk festivals?
Connect with classrooms all over the world, engage with leading professionals and topic experts, gain recognition for your school on a global stage.
Topical Talk festivals are seven-weeks of global discussions between schools and leading topic experts on the biggest news stories and issues of our time: from socio-political topics like racism and equity to sustainability and the "climate crisis". Each festival is packed with inspiring activities, online events and awards for thoughtful conversations and ideas.
The festival in 2023 will take place between April 10th and May 26th.
What happens during a Topical Talk festival?
Classroom discussions: you select and teach a one hour lesson on a different topic in the news each week for the first five weeks of the Festival. Every lesson resource comes with everything you need to get a great discussion going.
Global discussions: After classroom lessons, students log on to the Festival Student Hub and share their ideas and opinions with other students from all over the world. On the Festival Student Hub, students can engage with topic experts, join unique live events, enter competitions and win awards for discussions and ideas.
Standpoints: In the last two weeks of the Festival, students will pick a topic they have discussed to create a Standpoint on. A standpoint is an opinion piece in written, audio or video form.
Common questions
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Pre-festival
In class: set up Festival Hub accounts for students
At home: students sign and return permission forms -
Week 1
In class: teach one of the festival resources in class (approximately 1 hour)
At home: students log on to the Festival Student Hub at home and take part in discussions about the resource they have discussed in class -
Week 2
In class: teach another festival resource in class (approximately 1 hour)
At home: students log on to the Festival Student Hub at home and take part in discussions about the resource they have discussed in class
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Week 3
In class: teach another festival resource in class (approximately 1 hour). Attend week 3’s live lesson
At home: students log on to the Festival Student Hub at home and take part in discussions about the resource they have discussed in class -
Week 4
In class: teach another festival resource in class (approximately 1 hour)
At home: students log on to the Festival Student Hub at home and take part in discussions about the resource they have discussed in class -
Week 5
In class: start preparing your students for writing or recording their Standpoints
At home: students start to prepare their Standpoints. They can submit one per topic
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Week 6
In class: help students to craft their Standpoints on their chosen topic
At home: students work on their Standpoints -
Week 7
In class: teach your last festival resource in class. Help students finalise their standpoints
At home: students submit their Standpoints on the Festival Student Hub
I’ve signed up for the festival! What do I do now?
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March 27th
Send out parent permission forms, set up Festival Student Hub accounts for your students
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3rd April
Festival resource released
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10th April
Festival Student Hub opens!
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10th April - 8th May
Festival resources released weekly, students log on to engage in discussions
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8th May
Begin preparing Standpoints
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19th May
Deadline for Standpoint judging submissions
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26th May
End of festival, judging and awards, closure of Festival Student Hub