WEEKEND WORKSHOPS
Our workshops, designed for students of secondary school age, run for two hours, with morning and afternoon options. They either focus on developing and honing a particular skill or explore an important real-world topic from a variety of angles and in ways that helps participants develop their critical thinking skills.
​
Weekend workshops cost £40 per student with a maximum of 10 students in a class. Scholarships are available for students from low-income families who would like to learn with us, please email us to find out more.
​
Topic-based
Critical thinking in action
A practical workshop for young people in which we take an important topical issue and help students understand its complexities, see it from different perspectives and learn to speak fluently about it. Sample topics include: fake news, migration, bias, electoral reform, social media, big data.
NB Topics and the level at which they are explored can be tailored to the age and stage of the the participants​. Please email us after booking if you are interested in covering a particular topic.
​
​
"I was really pleased with the debating skills workshop and what it offered. The feedback was thorough and encouraging, too, and showed the tutors really got to know my son and how to develop and expand his skill set in just one morning.”
Parent of Andrew, 14, Scotland
Skills-based
Introduction to debating
A lively 2-hour workshop teaching young people the basics of effective debating including:
-
how to prepare for a debate, plan your arguments and predict counter arguments
-
support in articulating yourself clearly and effectively
-
familiarisation with formal debating terms and methods
-
a full debate on a topical issue in a supportive, small group
​​(NB includes preparation pack with background reading on the topic)
​
"The session boosted Oliver’s confidence and reignited his passion for debating. It also complemented his home schooling really well because it enabled him to converse with other children in the break rooms, absorb others’ ideas and bounce his thoughts off them. He found the tutor easy to talk to and felt he listened well and responded to the group’s ideas and questions. Oliver especially enjoyed the final debate and found the motion relevant and interesting. He would definitely like to take part in another session.”
Parent of Oliver, 12, England
Skills-based
Interview skills
Does your mind go blank under pressure or do you worry that you won’t deliver the ‘right’ answer? This fun 2-hour workshop will take some of the fear out of school and university interviews and help you feel better prepared. It is non-subject specific and includes the following:
-
How to prepare
-
Tips on presentation and how to come across well
-
Understanding what interviewers are looking for
-
Ways to overcome nerves and seem confident
-
Opportunities to practise answering sample questions in a supportive, small-group environment
"Both my children enjoyed exploring a topic close to their hearts. During the workshop my son had to argue against his own (strongly held) opinion that access to social media should be unrestricted and had to explore the arguments of the other side in depth. I really noticed a change in the way that he spoke when the issue of screen time was discussed next at home; he stopped dismissing arguments out of hand and for the first time was actually engaging with our standpoint...”
Parent of Gianluca (14) and Chiara (12), England
Skills-based
Debate skills: level 2
A fun 2-hour workshop for students who have completed our ‘Introduction to debating’ workshop, or have previous debating experience. Including:​
-
Practice in preparing for a debate, planning arguments
and predicting counter arguments -
Support in articulating yourself clearly and effectively
-
Honing use of formal debating terms and methods
-
Full debate on a topical issue plus detailed feedback
(NB includes a preparation pack with background reading on the debate topic)