The Big Ned 2026

On Monday, Alleyn's hosted The Big Ned 2026, a collaborative event bringing together students from Alleyn's, JAGS and Dulwich College as part of the Aspiring Minds programme. Ned Talks give students a platform to share original ideas in the style of a mini TED talk, with speakers given up to seven minutes to make their case.

The event was hosted by Deniz, Alleyn's new Academic Senior Prefect, and opened with two Year 9 speakers: Naia, who explored the unsettling prospect of being the last person on earth, and Anya, who made the case for the importance of being scared.

Six Sixth Form talks followed, ranging across an impressive breadth of topics. Imi (JAGS) examined how language shapes our perception of reality; Magnus (DC) explored 19th-century idealism through the lens of cults and utopian communities; Taylor-Rose (Alleyn's) offered a personal and thought-provoking reflection on identity and the language of autism; Amaara (JAGS) investigated the politics of silence; Sullivan (DC) used the red-versus-blue button dilemma to probe the nature of morality; and Rex (Alleyn's) closed the afternoon by asking what we lose when we stop talking to strangers.

It was a wonderful showcase of student curiosity, confidence and independent thought - exactly the spirit that Aspiring Minds is designed to nurture.