Festival of Ideas 2025 – Intellectual Risk Taking

During the week commencing Monday 23 June, we will be running our annual ‘Festival of Ideas’. This event is the culmination of our academic year and a chance for students to explore the world beyond the confines of exam curricula. The Festival of Ideas is about having and understanding ideas that ultimately could change the world.  

The week is chock-a-block with live music and concerts, charity fundraising, academic enrichment sessions, community action, and theatrical performances alongside the headline events of the Festival of Ideas Conference and an off-timetable activity day.

Highlights of the week include: 

• Monday: Creative Writing Showcase, Rush Hour Concert 

• Tuesday: Sports Day, Colour Rush Fun Run for charity (book through Wisepay, £10)

• Wednesday: University Challenge – Staff vs Students, Celebrity Piano Recital: Ravel’s Concerto for Left Hand, Festival of Ideas Conference (book here)

• Thursday: Off-timetable activity day (workshops, trips, fun), Opening night of the Lower School production of Alice (book here)

• Friday: Field Day (volunteering, personal development, trips), night two of Alice. 

The week provides an opportunity for students to develop and find new areas of interest. It aims to support the development of a life-long love of learning through a dynamic environment in which the school’s community can be creative, curious and collaborative.  

One of the key aspects of the week is the Festival of Ideas Conference which gives members of the school community the chance to listen to some inspirational talks and student-led discussion on this year’s theme, intellectual risk-taking.  

This year’s speakers are Dr Rachel Clarke, Simon Wright, and Professor Clare Herrick.  

• Dr Rachel Clarke is a practising palliative care doctor, former television journalist and the author of four Sunday Times bestselling books including The Story of a Heart (shortlisted for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction & the 2024 Baillie Gifford Prize).  

• Simon Wright is the Industry Editor of The Economist, covering cars and new mobility, aerospace, shipping and manufacturing. His roles have included stints as the Letters Editor, World This Week Editor and Deputy News Editor for the paper’s website.  

• Professor Herrick is the Head of the School of Global Affairs at King’s College London. Her research and writing explore the intersections of global public health, behavioural risk and urban policy. Her latest research project concerns the historical genesis of the non-communicable disease (NCD) ‘crisis’ and the politics of advocacy in global health.  

The conference will be held in the Trinity Concert Hall; there will be refreshments for those attending in the TCH Circus from 4.00pm. All members of the Trinity community are warmly invited to the conference including parents, siblings, grandparents, and alumni.   

We hope all students enjoy the diverse and fun learning opportunities throughout the week, as we head towards the end of the academic year.