This is a moment of change for oracy. It is Spring 2026, and a few weeks ago, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector and the Minister for School Standards both acknowledged the foundational role that oracy education plays, in front of hundreds of educators at Voice 21’s Speaking Summit. Their remarks come alongside real policy change, through both the recent Curriculum and Assessment Review and the Ofsted Education Inspection Toolkit. 

Ten years ago, this is the change Voice 21 set out to make. We believed that by building a critical mass of teachers and schools delivering a high-quality oracy education, we could also build the case for oracy in every school, for every child. Now, one in ten schools has an Oracy Lead. The word ‘oracy’ no longer receives a blank stare – teachers and school leaders are coming to us knowing more than ever about what oracy is, and what oracy education will unlock for their students. 

But at this moment of change, it feels more important than ever that we hold on to the values and principles that have defined ‘oracy education’ for us at Voice 21. We can’t afford for it to be misunderstood, or watered down, as we enshrine an entitlement to oracy education for every child. We need to hold oracy research and oracy practice tightly to each other – just as the National Oracy Project did forty years ago. We need to listen to students, and we need to listen to teachers. We need to recognise that ‘what works’ is complex, and highly contingent on people and place – and our evidence base needs to reflect this complexity. 

This year’s edition of the Talking Point holds these principles dear. It approaches five topics, first through a theoretical lens, and then from a practical perspective. Taken together, our aim is to bridge theory and practice, building a research-informed understanding oracy – in all its complexity – while also serving as practical inspiration and a guide for applying these concepts in schools. 

We show oracy education’s role in real schools, today, across five different topics: inclusion, employability, polarisation, storytelling and narratives, and the transition to Key Stage 3. These salient topics offer an opportunity to hear how schools are bringing the power of oracy to bear on today’s challenges – not as something ‘extra’; not as today’s initiative, forgotten tomorrow – but as part of the everyday business of teaching and learning. 

The pairs of articles are each framed through a “Talking Point” – a thought-provoking statement designed to spark discussion. In our schools, talking points act as stimuli to promote purposeful exploratory talk. We hope that the talking points in this journal will promote meaningful professional dialogue and discussion about the next phase of oracy implementation, both in schools and at a policy level. 

Our huge thanks to everyone who has contributed – teachers, academics, and colleagues at Voice 21 – and to the thousands of teachers in Voice 21 Oracy Schools who have pioneered new approaches, transforming teaching and learning through oracy. The research, evidence and ideas that are present in this journal are only possible because of the work they are undertaking. Theirs are the stories that must always remain at the heart of oracy education.