2009 Programme: Festival weekend overview

The Festival weekend includes more than 70 debates which are listed below ordered by time slot and room. To see Saturday or Sunday sessions only, select the day you want from the menu on the left or select sessions by Theme.

Or view and print out the Timetable as a two-page PDF.


Saturday 31 October: 10.30am to 12.00pm
Keynote Controversies Upper Gulbenkian Gallery
Rethinking education – the new crisis of adult authority in the classroom

Saturday 31 October: 3.30pm to 5.00pm
Frame Debates Henry Moore Gallery
A cultured ear: why does listening to music matter?

Saturday 31 October: 5.15pm to 6.30pm
Thought for the day Courtyard Gallery
School Science Education: an experiment gone wrong?

Sunday 1 November: 9.45am to 10.30am
Breakfast Banter Lecture Theatre 2
The Empty Staffroom: has teaching lost its magic?

Sunday 1 November: 10.45am to 12.15pm
In Conversation Salons Lecture Theatre 2
Philosophy 4 Children: can kids do Kant?
Café Controversies Café
We don't need no Sex Education

Sunday 1 November: 12.30pm to 1.30pm
Lunchtime Debates Lecture Theatre 2
Setting an Example: should teachers be role models?

Sunday 1 November: 1.45pm to 3.15pm
Battle for Work Courtyard Gallery
Working for the State: public service or gravy train?
Café Controversies Café
Policing the Playground: do anti-bullying campaigns do more harm than good?

Sunday 1 November: 3.45pm to 5.15pm
Battle for Work Courtyard Gallery
Recession-proofing: from union militancy to reskilling
In Conversation Salons Lecture Theatre 2
Songs of Innocence and Experience: what should today's kids be reading?

Sunday 1 November: 5.30pm to 6.30pm
Thought for the day Henry Moore Gallery
Head to head debate: Is it the duty of schools to promote community cohesion?

Festival Buzz
Litigation and Litigation Avoidance

View: Litigation and Litigation Avoidance

"What makes these sessions much more stimulating than most seminars is the sharp, often challenging contributions from the audience so that you have a real debate, not just a platform presentation."
Richard Donkin, independent journalist and author