Voice 21 Oracy Centre of Excellence

Our growing network of Oracy Centres of Excellence achieve national recognition for their oracy practice and can access exclusive opportunities including; network meetings; engaging in research and innovation projects; hosting peer open mornings; attending reciprocal school visits with other Voice 21 Oracy Centres of Excellence and speaking at national events.

What do our Voice 21 Oracy Centres of Excellence say?

Joanne Birmingham at Pendle Primary School says, ‘We are very proud to be accredited as an Oracy Centre of Excellence. The award has made sure that our continued development of dialogic teaching methods is valued, which has instilled a sense of pride in the work we do in both our staff and pupils. This has enabled us to confidently share the benefits of a high-quality oracy education with others in our local area and support our community to become a place that celebrates voices and viewpoints.’

Dannielle Burns at The Halifax Academy comments: ‘We are delighted to have been accredited as a Centre of Oracy Excellence.  Talk is important at our school where pupils are encouraged to find their own ‘voice to change the world’.  We teach pupils how to speak with clarity and conviction, how to listen carefully, and how to take part in powerful and productive conversations. Working alongside Voice 21 has helped us to build a whole school culture that values and celebrates students’ voices. We enable pupils to learn about what matters, and to understand how to effect real change in their school, their community, and the world.’

What difference are Voice 21 Oracy Centres of Excellence making?

Voice 21 Oracy Centres of Excellence are leading the way in providing a high-quality oracy education for their students, acting as beacons of good practice for oracy across the school system. They build on their strong foundations of outcomes, expertise and drive to work collaboratively, to reciprocally share expertise and good practice with more colleagues and schools across the country and beyond, in order to benefit a greater number of students and communities.

• Leeds school receives national recognition for developing students’ oracy – speaking and listening skills | Yorkshire Evening Post

  Centre of Excellence for Oracy – BBC Look North (bishopyoungacademy.co.uk)

  “It’s a testament to the innovative and inspirational oracy teaching by staff across school. This is already having significant impacts on students’ learning, and will be of huge benefit to them as they progress throughout school and in future education and employment opportunities.”

• Madani school in Leicester receives national oracy award | InYourArea Community

  “It is this incessant approach on the focus and command of high standards of literacy and oracy for our students that has delivered our exceptionally high outcomes and importantly a broader range of outcomes in the preparation of students for all aspects of their lives, not just exams.”

  Summaya Mughal – ‘These skills will help me so much in real life’. – BBC Sounds

• Pendle Primary Academy to become national ‘Centre of Excellence’ for Voice 21 speaking and listening skills | Burnley Express“Pendle Primary are changing the way they educate to help students from all backgrounds achieve in life and as a result has become a leading school in the country…It will support other schools in developing their students’ oracy skills, showcasing how oracy teaching can be transformational for students’ learning and life chances. ”