Chair of the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, Geoff Barton, speaks to Barbara Bleiman about the importance of talk for learning, including 'teacher talk' and whole-class dialogue, the role of oracy in the subject English and why we should value children's linguistic repertoires. 

Barbara Bleiman has worked in education for over 40 years, as a teacher and expert on secondary English. As an education consultant at the English and Media Centre (EMC), she has led CPD courses, written publications for the classroom, blogged and spoken at many conferences and other events. In 2019 she received the National Association for the Teaching of English Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Teaching of English.