Impact

At a glance:
133,000 children reached
38,000 children having regular news discussions

We’re proud to reach so many teachers and children globally, but we know that it’s regular Topical Talk use that helps students to make accelerated progress in essential skills.

This is why we monitor how often teachers engage with Topical Talk.

Topical Talk builds knowledge about the news and develops four essential skills: speaking, listening, problem-solving and creativity.

We use the Skills Builder Universal Framework to measure this. We support teachers to assess their class prior to using Topical Talk and after using Topical Talk regularly for at least six weeks.

Topical Talk Festivals offer school children the opportunity to connect with peers across the world, engage with leading professionals and topic experts and gain recognition for their school on a global stage.

In 2022-23 we ran two pilot festivals which were exclusively available to state-funded schools or schools with a high proportion of underserved students.

To get a feel for the discussions, download the latest Festival Hub Highlights magazine:

Topical Talk Communities represent our deepest level of engagement with the teachers and students we serve.

They are networks of engaged teachers in geographically defined places. The close relationships we build in Topical Talk communities enable us to cultivate the engagement and local leadership to maximise the impact of Topical Talk.

By co-designing bespoke teacher training and implementation support we help schools to plant roots that sustain the programme in the long term.