Chair of the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, Geoff Barton, speaks to Tim Oates about oracy in the National Curriculum and the gap between intent and implementation, what we can learn from other countries about implementing oracy education and why he is cautious about assessing oracy. 

Tim Oates is Group Director of Assessment Research and Development at Cambridge Assessment, focussing on national and international research on assessment and measurement. From 2010-2013, he was chair of the Expert Panel for Review of the National Curriculum. He has published widely on assessment and curriculum. In 2015 he was awarded a CBE for services to education.

Chair of the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, Geoff Barton, speaks to Amy Gaunt about the history of oracy education policy in England from the 1920s until the present day. 

Amy is Director of Learning, Impact and Influence at Voice 21. Amy joined the charity's founding leadership team in 2016, supporting the growth of the organisation from one London school to a network of over 1000 schools across the UK. She is co-author of 'Transform Teaching and Learning through Talk: the Oracy Imperative' and Voice 21's 'Oracy Benchmarks'.

Chair of the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, Geoff Barton, speaks to Justine Andrew about why oracy is such a vital skill in the workplace, the impact of Covid on young people's transitions into the world of work and what she hopes the Commission will achieve. 

Based in Leeds, Justine is Head of Education and Skills at KPMG and is also Head of the University Partnership Team. She leads KPMG’s work with some of the largest Education providers nationally as well as being at the forefront of work in the skills space. In her University Partnership role she is thinking differently about how providers and employers can work together across a range of areas, including embedding skills such as oracy into the curriculum. She has a particular interest in the economic development of ‘place’ and the role of collaboration to achieve that.

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. 

Chair of The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, Geoff Barton, speaks to David Thomas about why it’s important to be articulate to be good at maths, how teachers use language in the maths classroom and why this is so vital, and how creating opportunities for young people to tackle maths problems collaboratively with their peers through ‘maths circles’ can foster a love of maths. 

David Thomas is CEO of Axiom Maths, an education charity which believes in the power of maths to transform lives. He has been a maths teacher, a secondary school headteacher, and a government advisor. He co-founded Oak National Academy to support schools during the Covid-19 pandemic and received an OBE for services to education in 2020.

Chair of The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, Geoff Barton, speaks to commission member Sarah Houghton about the rise in mental health issues amongst children and young people, how being able to express ourselves, including our identities, is fundamental to good mental health and her hopes for the Commission.

Sarah Houghton is Director of Mental Health Workforce Development at Place2Be, a charity that provides high-quality mental health services in schools. With over a decade in programme design and delivery, Sarah joined Place2Be in 2018 as a Programme Leader. She previously led leadership development programmes in education with the Future Leaders Trust and then Ambition School Leadership. She is also a Gestalt psychotherapist.

You can learn more about The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England and its members here.

Chair of The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, Geoff Barton, speaks to commission member Sonia Thompson about developing oracy at St Matthew's C of E Primary School, inlcuding what an oracy entitlement for all children beyond the Early Years looks like, as well as what she hopes the commission will achieve.

Sonia Thompson, Headteacher of St Matthew’s C of E Primary School in Birmingham, leads initiatives to enhance education, collaborating with Oracy Cambridge on a Key Stage One oracy development project. Serving as a trustee for EEF and Classics For All, she advocates for Latin education at St Matthew’s. Sonia's book, 'An Ethic of Excellence in Action,' provides practical insights into implementing Ron Berger’s educational philosophy, while her participation in 'The Uses of Oracy' conference showcases her commitment to inclusive educational practices.

You can learn more about The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England and its members here.

Chair of The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, Geoff Barton, speaks to commission member Jeffrey Boakye about the driving force behind his book ‘I Heard What You Said, the insights that 15-year experience of teaching in secondary schools across the UK has offered and why oracy is so essential for young people making their way in the world.

Jeffrey Boakye is an educator, author and broadcaster. He is a Senior Teaching Fellow at Manchester Institute of Education and has authored seven books including I Heard What You Said, which explores how we can dismantle racism in the classroom. Jeffrey was an English teacher for 15 years, first in London and then East Yorkshire. and was part of the team that, in partnership with the University of Cambridge, developed the Oracy Framework.

You can learn more about The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England and its members here.

Chair of The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, Geoff Barton, speaks to commission member Rufus Norris about oracy’s role in the arts, how the understanding of oracy as a skill can be taken for granted, and how young people can benefit from learning to express themselves.

Rufus Norris, a multi-award winning theatre and film director, achieved critical acclaim with his West End revival of Cabaret, winning two Olivier Awards, and his debut feature film Broken, premiered at Cannes Film Festival, earning the Golden Eye Award at Zurich Film Festival. As the artistic director and chief executive of the National Theatre since 2015, he advocates for creative education, emphasizing the importance of oracy alongside factual learning.

You can learn more about The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England and its members here.

Chair of The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, Geoff Barton, speaks to commission member Sally Apps about her work delivering Alternative and Specialised provisions across the Cabot Learning Federation and the importance of developing speech & language abilities, specifically with a focus on the Early Years. 

Having begun her career as an English teacher in Manchester in 2003, Sally Apps achieved her first headship a decade later, becoming the Principal of Bristol Metropolitan Academy. Sally is currently Education Director at the Cabot Learning Federation, and works alongside the Department for Education to support schools’ trust development in the South West, with a particular focus on supporting Alternative and Specialised Provision.

You can learn more about The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England and its members here.