Director of Learning and Impact
My role: I lead the Learning & Impact Team. We set out and refine Voice 21’s approach to oracy education and evaluate the effectiveness and impact of this approach.
About me: I’m a former primary school teacher who led the development of oracy across the primary phase at School 21. I’m also co-author of The Oracy Imperative: Transform Teaching and Learning through Talk.
Why oracy? A high-quality oracy education empowers young people to find their voice, both ‘literally and metaphorically’- isn’t this the purpose of education?
Director of Operations
My role: I lead our operations team across finance, technology, people and governance to help us achieve our mission as an organisation and be a great place to work!
About me: I’ve spent most of the past decade working in the social enterprise sector in a variety of leadership roles and am passionate about giving everyone the same kind of educational opportunities that I have been fortunate enough to enjoy. I’m interested in how to build high-performing cultures and harnessing the power of data to drive better decision-making
Why oracy? Because the ability to talk is fundamental to our ability to think, and good oracy enables us to build deeper connections with each other and the world around us, whatever stage of life you are at
Senior External Relations Lead
My role: I lead our external relations, overseeing our communications, campaigns and business development functions to raise awareness of our work throughout the education sector and beyond.
About me: After working for a number of education and equalities charities, leading programmes for schools and young people, I trained and worked as an employment mediator, where I saw the importance of speaking and listening skills first-hand on a daily basis.
Why oracy? The ability to converse with others, to speak and to listen effectively, is fundamental to a democratic society. Oracy helps young people become active, engaged and empathic citizens.
Communications and Marketing Lead
My role: I manage the communications and marketing outputs at Voice 21 including our social media, digital marketing, campaigns, website and brand. My aim is to amplify the Voice 21 brand and voice within the sector and beyond.
About me: I have worked in the charity sector for 5 years and have always volunteered for children and youth charities in my spare time including The Access Project and Girlguiding UK. I am passionate about using my platforms to give young people a voice. I have a degree in International Relations and Politics from The University of Sheffield.
Why oracy? In order for society to be a place of fairness in the future, we need to equip all young people regardless of their background with the skills to talk and confidence to believe that their voice matters.
School Recruitment and Partnerships Lead
My role: I lead the development of our partnerships with schools; I talk with teachers, school leaders and local authorities, across the country, about our work and the ways we can best support their school’s oracy development.
About me: As a qualified secondary-school teacher with a Degree in Linguistics and Phonetics and a Masters in English Education, I have always had a passion for cultivating spaces to talk in classrooms. My roles, in a variety of state schools, have spanned across Teacher of English, Oracy lead and Head of PSHE. I have experience in designing and embedding a whole-school PSHE curriculum that reflects the bespoke needs of particular pupil cohorts alongside leading staff training to ensure that content is effectively delivered for pupils.
Why oracy? Opportunity for meaningful talk allows pupils to become authors of their own learning and to me, that’s what it’s all about!
Communications and Engagement Coordinator
My role: As the Communications and Engagement Coordinator, I am the first point of call for external communication processes; from inquiries to social media, I ensure that the right information and messaging reaches the correct audience.
About me: I have a broad span of experience, having worked for a number of environmental and education charities in roles from fundraising to comms & engagement (and even gardening). I’ve also worked in secondary schools as a literacy support specialist, and in digital marketing.
Why oracy? Learning to communicate and empathise adequately would go a long way to resolving a great many of the world’s problems.
Impact and Research Senior Lead
My role: I lead on our impact management: understanding the difference we make, and using that understanding to make more of a difference.
About me: I have an MSc in Social Policy and Social Research from the IoE, and a particular interest in the evaluation of complex interventions. Prior to working in Impact, I coached and judged speech and debate both in the UK and internationally.
Why oracy? Oracy underpins teaching and learning. But it also creates communities where everyone knows that their voice has value.
Educational Content Producer
My role: As an educational content producer, I edit Talk on Tuesday, help to plan and deliver network events and work on other Voice 21 resources.
About me: I have come from 11 years of experience in primary education; taking on roles such as EAL teacher, class teacher PPA cover teacher and learning mentor. I am very interested in mental health and currently volunteer for Shout Crisis text line as well as doing a college counselling course.
Why oracy? Oracy is important for everyone but is vital to help those students who would not otherwise have the tools to communicate, for both academic and well-being reasons.
Learning and Design Lead
My role: As Learning Design Lead I evaluate and refine how we deliver Voice 21’s approach to oracy through the development of our courses and resources.
Impact Officer
My role: I help to identify, support the development of, and communicate the impact of Voice 21 Oracy School membership.
About me: I am a former secondary school teacher and university lecturer. I have a PhD in Education focusing on educational equality.
Why oracy? Oracy has a positive impact not only on attainment but also on students’ social and emotional wellbeing and mental health.
Educational Content Producer
My role: I lead on the Voice 21 Exchange and the Douglas Barnes Award, helping teachers to research the impact of oracy.
About me: I’m a former secondary school geography teacher and educational researcher with an interest in classroom dialogue, including technology-mediated dialogue.
Why oracy? Talk is a powerful tool that has the potential to transform students’ learning and life chances.
Information Systems Officer
People Officer
My role: I support the team with all things People/Human Resources related, and also provide admin support as required.
About me: I have worked in many different sectors over the years, predominately as an HR Consultant helping to shape the future of organisations through the effective management of people.
Why oracy? An oracy education provides young people with the tools they need to thrive in school and beyond. The ability to communicate well is so important in all aspects of life, and every child should have the opportunity to develop these crucial skills.
Oracy Consultant
My role: As an Oracy Consultant, I support schools to provide a high-quality oracy education for their students, through working closely with them to develop their expertise and strategic approach.
About me: I’m a former primary school teacher, oracy lead, EAL specialist and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher. I have an MSc in Forced Migration, and have taught in Lebanon and worked with refugees in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Why oracy? Language development relies on oracy to drive it, and teachers can and should be integral to this.
Senior Consultant
My role: I lead the North Team of 5 consultants and a membership officer. My role is to ensure all of our schools have an excellent experience of working with us through our courses and consultancy.
About me: I’m a former primary school teacher, SENDCo and specialist teacher for children with cognition and learning needs. I have an MSc in language impairments in children and am a Phone Friend volunteer for AgeUK.
Why oracy? Oracy is our tool for learning and thinking. Through talk we build relationships and learn to understand ourselves and others better.
Oracy Consultant
My role: My role as an oracy consultant is to supportively work with schools in a variety of ways, in order to meet the Oracy Benchmarks and provide a high-quality oracy education for all.
About me: I am a former primary school teacher with an MA in education. I once ran a school radio show which won a national radio award!
Why oracy? An oracy education means that pupils learn the value of their voice and others, and they develop and refine this skill. They learn that their voice can make a difference.
Oracy Consultant
My role: I am an Oracy Consultant and support schools across the UK to provide an oracy education for their pupils.
About me: Starting out teaching martial arts to children, I am now a former primary school teacher and leader with a passion for giving all children the best chances in life.
Why oracy? A headteacher I once worked with said to me, “Academic grades will get you to the door but oracy will take you through it”. I use this quote as my inspiration every day.
Membership Officer
My role: I work with schools in East of England, East and West Midlands, South West and Wales to add value to their membership, drive engagement and support impact.
About me: I have worked across the arts, culture and education sector in various capacities including relationship and project management. My background is in contemporary dance with a specialism in accessible movement for children and young people with additional needs.
Why oracy? An oracy education provides young people with the tools they need to not only thrive in school but in life. Being able to communicate well is more important than ever for employability, well-being and life-long learning.
Oracy Consultant
My role: In my role as oracy consultant, I work with schools across the North of England to develop their expertise and support their provision of a high-quality oracy education for students.
About me: I have worked in a range of education settings over the past seven years and, as a former secondary English teacher, have led on creative writing with a focus on spoken word.
Why oracy? Every child deserves to speak and be heard; teaching students how to is the key to unlocking their unlimited potential.
Oracy consultant
My role: As an Oracy Consultant, I provide support to our schools across the UK as they develop their expertise and strategic approach to delivering a high-quality oracy education.
About me: I’m a former primary school teacher and art and design coordinator. I have an MA in Education policy and an interest in nurturing creativity in our young people.
Why oracy? At the heart of all communities are great storytellers, debaters, conflict resolvers – people who harness the power of oracy to be great leaders
Oracy Consultant
My role: As an Oracy Consultant, I work closely with member schools to establish the best strategic approach for rolling out a high-quality oracy education across their setting.
About me: I have an MA in Special Educational Needs which is a specialism I have brought to my work both as a deputy SENCo in a large mainstream secondary school and then as an alternative provision teacher and leader. My focus throughout my career has been on inclusion; ensuring that the curriculum and environment are set up so that every child can learn and thrive.
Why oracy? Working in alternative provision I saw a large number of young people who were significantly demotivated and disengaged with learning. Oracy consistently had a transformative effect on these students: it broke down barriers, inspired curiosity and built a culture of collaborative learning. Oracy is a vehicle for social equity, creating opportunity for everyone, even those with the most difficult of circumstances.
Membership Lead
My role: I lead our membership team, working behind the scenes to ensure every Voice 21 oracy school gets the best out of their membership experience.
About me: I’m a former secondary school English teacher who has worked for the past six years in a range of education and social mobility charities. I’m passionate about tackling social inequality across the UK.
Why oracy? An oracy education empowers every young person to use their voice – setting them up for success both inside the classroom and beyond the school gates.
Oracy Consultant
My role: In my role as oracy consultant, I support schools to develop their expertise so they can provide a high-quality oracy education across their provision.
About me: I have worked across both the primary and secondary sectors. I taught nurture group and led on numeracy and literacy interventions- with the focus of improving the attainment for Pupil Premium students. I specialised in History and Classical Civilisation.
Why oracy? Oracy is the key to unlocking the potential of our young people. Empowering them to find their voices and become active and empathetic citizens.
Oracy Consultant
My role: As a Voice 21 Oracy Consultant, I work alongside school teachers and leaders, empowering them to embed a high-quality oracy education into their curriculum.
About me: I have worked in a range of schools and contexts throughout my 18 years in the education sector. Prior to joining Voice 21, I was a Deputy Headteacher overseeing Quality of Education in a large secondary school in the North West of England. I am also an English teacher, and passionate about language in all its forms!
Why oracy? Enabling our young people to communicate with confidence and joy is a moral imperative for any educator.
Oracy Consultant
My role: As an oracy consultant, I work closely with schools to develop their expertise and strategic approach to delivering a high-quality oracy education.
About me: I’m a former primary teacher and curriculum leader with experience teaching in the UK and USA. Drawing on my performance background, I have coached students in slam poetry and led film making clubs!
Why oracy? Through oracy, we equip all students, regardless of background, with the tools to communicate their ideas, critically engage in discussions and listen effectively. With these tools, young people can become active, compassionate citizens who act as agents of change in their communities.
Oracy Consultant
My role: In my role as an oracy consultant, I support schools to develop their expertise and high-quality oracy provision.
About me: I’m a former primary school teacher and English lead practitioner. I am passionate about creating a meaningful and enabling curriculum provision for all.
Why oracy? Supporting every young person to value their voice, understand the power of listening and be equipped with the tools to communicate confidently.
Senior Consultant
My role: I lead the South Team, supporting oracy consultants to drive impact across the schools in our region. I ensure all of our schools have an
excellent experience of working with us and are enabled to deliver a high-quality oracy education for their students.
About me: I’m a former secondary school MFL teacher with an interest in the use of storytelling as an approach to building an acquisition-based model of language learning.
Why oracy? A high-quality oracy education empowers students with the belief that their voice has value. It equips them with the skills needed to articulate their thoughts and ideas and to develop meaningful connections with others.
Oracy Consultant
My role: As an Oracy Consultant, I work with schools to implement and develop high-quality oracy education within the classroom and across the wider setting.
About me: I am a former art teacher with experience in primary, secondary, FE and Alternative Provision. As a faculty curriculum leader I was responsible for the impact and development of foundation subjects, supporting staff to engage the most challenging students.
Why oracy? Oracy opens the door to opportunities otherwise thought out of reach for many young people. It not only gives them a voice but also the skills to use it to enhance their life chances, especially those that come from a disadvantaged background.
Senior Consultant
My role: I lead the Central Team of 4 consultants and a membership officer. My role is to ensure all of our schools have an excellent experience of working with us through our courses and consultancy.
Why oracy? An oracy education helps young people to develop the skills the need to communicate effectively and speak about what really matters to them
Oracy Consultant
My role: In my role as an oracy consultant, I support schools to implement oracy throughout their pedagogy and practice and curriculum and culture
About me: I have worked in secondary schools in South West London and Bradford for the last fifteen years. More recently, I have been a SENCo and the Lead Teacher in a Resourced Provision for students with Developmental Language Disorder.
Why oracy? Oracy allows students to enhance their learning and life chances whether it be increasing their life chances, improving their academic outcomes, fostering wellbeing, allowing them to thrive beyond school, allowing students from disadvantaged backgrounds to narrow the gap with their peers and promoting social equity.
Membership Officer (North)
My role: I build relationships with member schools to add value to their membership, drive engagement and support impact in member schools.
About me: I’m a former primary school teacher and literacy coordinator. I’ve also taught English as a foreign language in primary and secondary schools in Japan.
Why oracy? The benefits of oracy skills go beyond academic achievement and employability. They boost self-confidence, self-awareness, resilience and empathy.
Are you passionate about oracy and the difference it can make to teaching practice and students’ outcomes? Join our team!
Click below to explore our current vacancies.
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