The Commission Conversations

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...

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 networ...

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 Partnershi...

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 exper...

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...

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...

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 Schoo...

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, aut...

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...

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...

Chair of The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, Geoff Barton, speaks to commission member speaks to Stephen Coleman about the ways young people engage and participate in the democratic process, the role of oracy in all of this, and the potential outcomes of the Commission itself. Stephen Coleman is Professor of Political Communication at the University of Leeds and was co-inve...

Chair of The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, Geoff Barton, speaks to commission member Professor Rob Drummond about challenging accentism and the deficit model of language, his work in The Manchester Voices Project and how the field of sociolinguistics is so closely tied to the work of the commission. Rob Drummond is Professor of Sociolinguistics at Manchester Metropolitan...

Chair of The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, Geoff Barton, speaks to commission member Christine Counsell about her interest in oracy and the importance of exploring voices and learning through narrative across the curriculum, from the sciences to the humanities. Christine Counsell started her career as a history teacher and transitioned into leadership roles at John Cabot...