Case Study | The Mayflower Centre

How Topical Talk connects English language learning with global thinking

Key learnings

The Mayflower Centre in Romania is a fee-paying English language school where students aged 12–14 attend afternoon classes to prepare for Cambridge exams. Teachers at Mayflower, like many across Romania, have long felt that English exam preparation is too rigid and fails to develop the wider skills students need to think critically and engage with the world.

Topical Talk has transformed that experience. Teachers describe it as “one of my favourite parts of the job” – offering a chance to learn alongside students and move away from the dry routine of exam-based teaching. The lessons encourage curiosity, debate and reflection, helping students to express opinions at their own pace while building confidence in both English and critical thinking.

The Mayflower Centre has taken part in every Topical Talk Festival since 2022, winning the Alastair Burnett Award in 2025. Teachers have seen a big increase in student motivation and confidence, and the 2025 Festival was the school’s most successful to date. Students who joined the Festival showed clear improvements in spoken English and listening and became more tolerant of different opinions. One teacher shared, “This Festival has helped increase our pupils’ abilities to think critically, look at comments made by others and give a suitable response. It has also increased their commitment to seeing a subject through; they have learned not to give up no matter the feedback they get.”

Moderators saw this impact first-hand. Students’ comments on the Hub were thoughtful and empathetic, showing awareness of global perspectives and a willingness to change their minds after hearing new ideas. Their written Standpoints stood out for creativity, originality and a strong grasp of English.

Teachers also say Topical Talk has changed their own approach, inspiring them to bring real-world issues into other subjects and create more democratic classrooms where students lead discussion.

Looking ahead, TEEF and The Mayflower Centre have co-designed a full-year curriculum to make Topical Talk a permanent part of teaching. This partnership will make Mayflower one of our most engaged schools worldwide, showing how English language learning can become a gateway to global awareness and critical thinking.