Oracy Education Commission

The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, chaired by @RealGeoffBarton

Providing a blueprint for a national entitlement to oracy education.

[Oracy Education Commission @oracycommission]

We need to talk about oracy—what it is, why it matters, and why it matters now, in particular.

We are proud to share the final report from The Oracy Education Commission, including our findings and recommendations.

We need to talk👇

https://t.co/G2AFXAMug8

[Geoff Barton @RealGeoffBarton]

Just home from talking to leaders in the Hillingdon Learning Partnership about (roll of drums, please) #oracy (of course). And what a day to do so! Huge thanks to everyone who supported our @oracycommission in making a renewed case for oracy education ... https://t.co/mchhXbGv5L

[Oracy Education Commission @oracycommission]

The #oracy momentum continues …

[Geoff Barton @RealGeoffBarton]

Good to see that in its new framework @Ofstednews recognises #oracy as one of the foundations of learning ...

[Oracy Education Commission @oracycommission]

Talking about #oracy …
Dr Andrew Rogoyski @PeopleCentredAI: “Our assumption that you can tell a student’s mastery of a subject by asking them to write an essay is being fundamentally challenged. This means vivas, or discussions, about examined topics.” https://t.co/HVIcghnu8p

[Oracy Education Commission @oracycommission]

As Professor ⁦Neil Mercer ⁦@OracyCambridge⁩ says:
“I think oracy is still not properly understood. I don’t think policymakers always recognise what is involved and why it matters …” https://t.co/6cJaP19rWs

[Schools Week @SchoolsWeek]

💬 'The arts must be brought back from the curricular margins, and the EBacc measure that consigned them there needs to be scrapped'

@RealGeoffBarton
https://t.co/8fgJZXi7hB

[Oracy Education Commission @oracycommission]

As part of our series of ‘Commission Conversation’ podcasts, last year @RealGeoffBarton talked to @olidebotton - today confirmed as new expert adviser on education & skills to the PM - about the value of #oracy, curriculum reform, and social justice: https://t.co/9kfDtNk8GZ

[Oracy Education Commission @oracycommission]

The #Oracy Conversation continues ...
Recorded in an echoey corridor at this week's @voice21oracy Speaking Summit, here's @RealGeoffBarton’s conversation with Tim Oates, Alison Peacock, Baz Ramaiah and Beccy Earnshaw …

https://t.co/XLMB4ojuxJ

[Oracy Education Commission @oracycommission]

@RealGeoffBarton reacts to a recent polling: “Language, in all its forms, matters. And in an age when everyone is cross about everything, high quality talk & active listening have never mattered more.

We want to give [children] agency in their learning, a voice in their future.”

[Schools Week @SchoolsWeek]

🧸 Almost all teachers surveyed believe the public do not understand or comprehend the 'crisis' in schools, while 76 per cent believe parents are in denial about speech and language issues their children may have.

https://t.co/jDJYbvCaJd

[Oracy Education Commission @oracycommission]

@RealGeoffBarton reacts to a recent polling by YouGov for GL Assessment:

"We don’t want children to be victims who are ‘lost for words’. We want to give them agency in their learning, a voice in their future.”

Read more here 👇
https://t.co/lbezdCWiQh

[Oracy Education Commission @oracycommission]

@RealGeoffBarton reacts to a recent polling by YouGov for GL Assessment:

“We don’t want children to be victims who are ‘lost for words’. We want to give them agency in their learning, a voice in their future.”

Read more here 👇
https://t.co/lbezdCWiQh

[Oracy Education Commission @oracycommission]

As we discussed within the Commission, there’s an urgency to increasing #oracy education - helping all young people to listen actively & critically, to disagree agreeably, and to engage in democracy …

[Chris Ward MP @chriswardmp]

Great to hear the Leader of the House (@LucyMPowell) confirm that Labour will deliver votes at 16 later this year ❤️

[Barbara Bleiman 🎓 Education is Conversation @BarbaraBleiman]

Very much looking forward to being on this panel and sharing thoughts with the other contributors about whether/how oracy should be assessed, something I talked a bit about in my @oracycommission conversation with @RealGeoffBarton

[Barbara Bleiman 🎓 Education is Conversation @BarbaraBleiman]

@JamesAFurey I’m happy to be able to fully agree on all of this! If you don’t know about it @oracycommission did a whole range of podcasts recently on Oracy, published a pamphlet & great report. @voice21oracy is a valuable source of ideas, as is @OracyCambridge.

[Geoff Barton @RealGeoffBarton]

Recap: why an #Oracy Commission in 2024 ... and where next for oracy in 2025?

[Oracy Education Commission @oracycommission]

But, in truth, if we’ve learnt anything over recent years, it’s that great practice in classrooms can’t be mandated from Whitehall. Instead, it’s now over to us - the teaching profession - to make it happen. Let us know your #oracy priorities, as we move from talk to action. 8/8

[Oracy Education Commission @oracycommission]

Now we’re talking about our recommendations at conferences, at school & trust training events, and behind the scenes with officials & policy-makers. We’ve fed into the Curriculum & Assessment Review; and will do the same with reviews of leadership & teaching standards 7/8

[Oracy Education Commission @oracycommission]

In October 2024, we launched our report, ‘We Need to Talk’. It was well received and led to (mostly) constructive debate about the implications of #oracy education. We called oracy ‘the fourth ‘R’ – as fundamental as reading, writing & arithmetic: https://t.co/SuwAgnDlcP 6/8

[Oracy Education Commission @oracycommission]

Between April & October 2024, the work of the Commission was supplemented by podcasts called ‘Commission Conversations’. The idea was to explore the many dimensions of #oracy - disciplinary oracy, inclusion, storytelling and much more. Explore here: https://t.co/Ih4HnwQeqg
5/8

[Oracy Education Commission @oracycommission]

So in April 2024, we established our independent Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, initiated and supported by the charity, Voice 21. This is its wide-ranging and diverse group of Commissioners:
4/8
https://t.co/ocDKPzQ5Ot

[Oracy Education Commission @oracycommission]

Also … last year, as Leader of the Opposition, Keir Starmer signalled that #oracy would be a key part of the Labour Party’s future ‘Opportunity Mission’ … https://t.co/foL1pjsJ4S
3/8