Unheard Voices, Lost Potential

Why aren’t some young people’s voices heard at school? Is it satisfactory to label some young people as ‘shy’ or lacking confidence in speaking up in certain subjects, or how might structural factors influence this – like socio-economic class, gender, regional disparities and accent prejudice? What role do teachers play in providing opportunities for different voices to be heard and valued in classroom conversations?

This conference will explore all this and more, identifying which young people go unheard at school and the knock-on impacts on their learning and life chances. It will showcase practical approaches for changing this: by ensuring that oracy skills are taught explicitly, rather than assuming they are caught by chance, all young people can be actively engaged in their learning and become confident, articulate communicators. Join us to hear from teachers, researchers, business leaders, policy-makers and other experts and help all young people get the best possible chance to find their voice for success in school and later in life.