Topical Talk

Resource type: Lesson plans and teaching aids

Price band: Free

Key stage: KS2, KS3

Region(s): All of UK

Topical Talk is a programme of resources designed to help students aged 10+ develop critical thinking and communication skills through discussions about the top news stories and issues of our time.

There are three parts to the Topical Talk programme:

Teaching resources designed to stimulate classroom discussions about the news. Headline resources are 1-hour lessons published weekly on a different news story. Special Editions are longer schemes of work delivered over a number of sessions.
Topical Talk Festivals are online global discussions between schools and leading topic experts that take place once a year. Each festival provides inspiring activities, online events and awards to stimulate thoughtful conversations and ideas. The next Topical Talk Festival will take place between January and March 2026.
Leadership for Change Prize is a six-lesson curriculum that culminates in students creating their own ‘Project for Change’ to improve their school or community with the chance to win funding and mentorship to help make their project a reality. The theme for the 2025 Leadership for Change curriculum is Decode the News and supporting resources include a global live lesson on 22nd October. The deadline for entries is November 19th.

Cost: Topical Talk teaching resources and the Leadership for Change Prize are free with registration. For state/non-fee-paying schools, Topical Talk Festival costs £349 (+VAT) per class of 34 students. The price is adjusted (+/-) depending on the type of school. Some fully subsidised places are also available.

About The Economist Educational Foundation: The Economist Educational Foundation is an independent charity set up by The Economist. Its mission is to help young people develop the necessary skills to enable them to engage critically with the news and current affairs.

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The teaching resources are created by experienced teachers working with journalists and fact-checkers at The Economist to ensure that all the information provided is accurate and up-to-date. They provide everything you need to lead the weekly one-hour sessions.
All the activities are designed to help students develop key listening, speaking, problem solving and creative thinking skills, as well as the critical skills needed to interrogate the news and distinguish between fact and ‘fake’.
Get top tips on how to teach tough issues and manage sensitive conversations.
Sign up for Teaching the News, a free online training course created to help practitioners develop confidence in bringing the news into the classroom, including a fully-resourced lesson to try with your pupils for every module.
Explore the library of previously published teaching resources. You can filter by category, subject and age range.