Inspirational presentations from world experts
We believe that the chance to talk frankly and openly with leading figures from the worlds of culture, media, sport and academia allows our students to develop both their confidence, and their analytical skills.
Each of our expert speakers presents on their leading topic before fielding questions from our student audience. We carefully tailor our guest lecture programme to ensure that our students attend talks that are not only stimulating and informative, but enjoyable too. Our guest lecturers encourage debate and enhance the scholarly atmosphere of all Oxford Royale Academy summer courses.
Previous Guest Speakers
Listed below are just a few of the guest speakers who have previously delivered talks, debates, and discussions to ORA students:
| Speaker Name | Profile |
|---|---|
| Professor Richard Dawkins | Author and evolutionary biologist |
| Professor Sophie Marnette | Fellow of Balliol College and a specialist in Modern Linguistics and French Medieval Literature |
| Baroness Susan Greenfield | Scientist, researcher and member of the House of Lords |
| Dr Julian Baggini | Philosopher and author |
| Sir Andrew Motion | Former Poet Laureate |
| Dr Simon Singh | Author and mathematician |
| Baron William Hague of Richmond | Former Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs |
| Tom Fletcher | Former UK ambassador to Lebanon |
| Daniela Papi-Thornton | Deputy Director of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship |
| Baroness Shami Chakrabarti | Shadow Attorney General for England and Wales and member of the House of Lords |
| Professor Ben Ambridge | Researcher at Liverpool University, specialising in child language acquisition |
| Baron Saye and Sele | English Peer and businessman |
| Tom Toumazis MBE | Chairman and founder of the ChildLine board and former deputy Managing Director of ITV |
Students in different age groups will enjoy different guest speaker events during their summer courses:
Students aged 13-15
We aim to provide our 13-15 year old students with inspirational and motivational speakers from a variety of academic and entrepreneurial backgrounds. Previous talks have covered topics from The Psychology of Dance and Animal Conservation, to record-breaking adventures and the origins of the universe itself. Sessions are designed to be interactive, with plenty of opportunity for students to ask questions and take part in activities.
Students aged 16-18
The Great ORA Debate
2016 witnessed the inaugural Great ORA Debate for our Oxford campuses, held in the iconic Sheldonian Theatre with former Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti (CBE) chairing a debate on Privacy in the Digital Age. Since then, the event has gone from strength to strength, with a number of esteemed speakers joining us in 2017, including William Hague and Tom Fletcher. Small, campus-led debates are hosted throughout the session, with each campus selecting a student representative to take part in the final debate on-stage with one of our notable speakers.
Debates & Discussions
Students in campuses outside of Oxford will have the opportunity for debates and discussions with leading figures in smaller groups, giving them an opportunity for greater participation and interactivity.
Students aged 19-25
During the second week of the programme, the whole campus will come together for talks from university lecturers, business leaders and industry experts. These talks will be interdisciplinary in nature allowing students to bring their own subject experience to the discussion and are designed around a theme relevant to the modern world and workplace. In 2017, the afternoon was inspired by the topic of leadership and included speakers covering subjects like the psychology of leadership and entrepreneurship.
“The Great Debate between Queen’s College and St Catharine’s was probably my favourite event due to the interesting topic that was discussed and the eager young minds who made it their mission to prove that their arguments were genuine and valuable.”
Emma, Bosnia and Herzegovina
