Today we welcome the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England’s We Need To Talk report. We are delighted to support the findings of this report and its central message: that oracy should be the fourth “R”, of equal status with reading, writing and arithmetic.

In March 2024, in response to a forthcoming general election and Keir Starmer’s announcement that oracy would be placed at the heart of the curriculum, Voice 21 set up the independent Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, with Geoff Barton as its Chair.

Voice 21 works in over 1000 schools and 44 Oracy Centres of Excellence nationwide to build oracy into the curriculum, teaching and wider school life, which means that we have seen the difference oracy can make to students. Now is the time to ensure all children benefit from a high-quality oracy education. 

The Commission’s final report will provide the framework the government needs to make oracy an ordinary part of every child’s school experience. We urge the government to enact the recommendations and create a systemic shift in access to oracy education in England. 

Voice 21 CEO, Dr Kate Paradine, said “This landmark report makes a compelling case for oracy to at last take its rightful place alongside literacy and numeracy at the core of our education system. 

It is now incumbent on us all to ensure that the recommendations are enacted to unlock the opportunity of oracy education in every classroom. 

At Voice 21 we believe that schools have the power to change a child’s life and create a fairer society. That is why we look forward to working with teachers, school leaders and policy-makers to make the ambition of ‘We need to talk’ a reality for this generation of children and young people.”