Becoming a Voice 21 Oracy School is a commitment: to transform oracy teaching and learning across your school, enabling all students to access and benefit from a high-quality oracy education.
Our Voice 21 Oracy School membership reflects the ambitions of school leaders who understand that oracy is not a programme to be completed one year and gone the next, or an extracurricular endeavour for a select few, but rather an essential facet of an effective, empowering and expansive education. Find out more below about how we work with our member schools across each stage.
Please note our Voice 21 Oracy Schools membership is only open to state schools in England and Wales. If you’re based in Scotland or Northern Ireland, please contact hello@voice21.org to discuss how we can support you.
There are three progressive stages of membership, each typically lasting for a year and containing a carefully-constructed blend of professional development and bespoke support.
Through our courses, oracy consultancy and online learning, you will work with our oracy teaching and learning experts to identify and address your specific needs and ambitions for oracy, both in your classrooms and across your school, supporting you to meet the Oracy Benchmarks.
As a Voice 21 Oracy School you will be paired with one of Voice 21’s expert Oracy Consultants. We know every school is unique, which is why our Consultants will work one-to-one with you to identify what will work best in your context. They will guide you through each stage, supporting you to identify priorities, recommending and signposting relevant information and will always be at the end of a phone or email.
All of our Voice 21 Oracy Consultants are experienced teachers who can share first-hand experience of the impact that oracy can have on classroom teaching and school culture.
Our courses bring together academic research with practical, tried and tested approaches to have immediate impact on your students. Unsurprisingly, talk is central to all our courses, which are immersive, hands-on and will leave you buzzing with ideas to take back to school.
Through our courses we develop the knowledge and expertise of these individuals, bringing together like-minded professionals and ensuring they have the tools, resources and motivation to spread good practice across the school on their return.
Our self-led, online CPD modules are for colleagues across your school. You’ll be able to identify different modules for different members of your team to engage in, or modules for all your teachers to complete.
From our starter module “Introducing Oracy” through to guidance on how to roll out whole school CPD in “Cascading Oracy Expertise”, there are a range of modules to suit all levels of experience and interest.
During Stage 1 you will build the foundations of oracy teaching and learning to meet the Oracy Teacher Benchmarks across your school.
During Stage 2 you will focus on meeting the Oracy School Benchmarks, embedding oracy throughout the curriculum, culture, routines and core approaches of the school.
During Stage 3 you will improve and sustain practice across your school, embedding long-term organisational change. You will be at the forefront of the national oracy movement, pioneering innovative practice and sharing your expertise with others.
Most schools should start at Stage 1, but do contact us to discuss this further if you are unsure. You can register just for Stage 1 or for multiple Stages.
How much does it cost? Each stage costs £2500 (primary schools) or £3000 (secondary schools) for the year. If you sign up for all three stages now, your total cost over three years will be reduced to £7000 (primary schools) or £8500 (secondary schools).
Where are the courses based? On registering, please select the most convenient course location to attend across England and Wales, or you can choose to attend the course online.
When can I register for my school? We are not currently taking registrations however if you would like to find out more or speak to a member of our team you can email us at hello@voice21.org
If you have any questions do get in touch with hello@voice21.org or call us on 020 7082 5221.
© 2020 Voice 21. Voice 21 is a registered charity in England and Wales. Charity number 1152672 | Company no. 08165798
