The Commission Conversations

The Oracy Education Commission

Commission Conversations are short dialogues, discussions, and debates compiled by the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England. They are designed to explore 'oracy' at a theoretical and practical level, illuminating what oracy is, and why it matters so much.The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England is an independent commission, chaired by Geoff Barton and hosted by Voice 21.

  1. 03/27/2025

    The Commission Conversations - The Speaking Summit 2025

    In this 'Commission Conversation' Geoff Barton, Chair of the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, catches up with Tim Oates CBE, Dame Alison Peacock, Baz Ramaih and Beccy Earnshaw at Voice 21's Speaking Summit conference to get their thoughts on oracy assessment, the Curriculum and Assessment Review's interim report and more.

    12 min

  2. 10/10/2024

    The Commission Conversations - Frank Cottrell-Boyce

    In this 'Commission Conversation' Geoff Barton, Chair of the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, talks to Frank Cottrell-Boyce about early language and reading. Frank Cottrell-Boyce is the Children's Laureate. He is a multi award-winning children’s book author and screenwriter. Millions, his debut children's novel, won the prestigious CILIP Carnegie Medal.

    21 min

  3. 10/07/2024

    Commission Conversations - Teresa Cremin and Helen Hendry

    In this Commission Conversation, Geoff Barton, Chair of the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England talks to Professor Teresa Cremin and Dr Helen Hendry about oracy and reading for pleasure. Professor Teresa Cremin is a Professor of Education (Literacy) at The Open University and Co-Director of the Literacy and Social Justice Centre at The Open University in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (AcSS), the Royal Society of the Arts (RSA) and the English Association (EA). Additionally, she is a Trustee of the UK Literacy Association (UKLA), a Board member of the Reading Agency, a DfE expert on reading for pleasure, a member of the ESRC Peer Review College, and chair of the Advisory Group for the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Teacher Development Fund for the Arts.  Dr Helen Hendry is a specialist in early education with a particular focus on literacy and inclusion. She draws on nearly 30 years experience as a teacher, advisory teacher, teacher educator and researcher. She joined The Open University in 2019 as a lecturer on the MA in Education programme after 13 years working on a range of Education programmes at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln.

    15 min

  4. 10/03/2024

    The Commission Conversations - Dame Alison Peacock

    In this 'Commission Conversation' Geoff Barton, Chair of the Independent Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, talks to Dame Alison Peacock about oracy in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), how oracy supports learning throughout a child's education and how we can incentivise schools to focus on oracy.   Dame Alison Peacock is the CEO of the Chartered College of Teaching. Prior to joining the Chartered College, she was Executive Headteacher of The Wroxham School in Hertfordshire. Her career to date has spanned primary, secondary and advisory roles.

    10 min

  5. 09/30/2024

    The Commission Conversations - Commissioners' Reflections (Justine Andrew, Jeffrey Boakye and Christine Counsell)

    In this 'Commission Conversation' Geoff Barton, Chair of the Independent Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, talks to commissioners Justine Andrew, Jeffrey Boakye and Christine Counsell about their reflections on the Commission's deliberations.

    8 min

  6. 09/26/2024

    The Commission Conversations - Commisioners' Reflections (Sonia Thompson, Stephen Coleman and Sarah Houghton)

    In this 'Commission Conversation' Geoff Barton, Chair of the Independent Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, talks to commissioners Sonia Thompson, Stephen Coleman and Sarah Houghton about their reflections on the Commission's deliberations.

    7 min

  7. 09/23/2024

    The Commission Conversations - Commissioners' Reflections (Rob Drummond, Sally Apps and Rufus Norris)

    In this 'Commission Conversation' Geoff Barton, Chair of the Independent Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, talks to commissioners Rob Drummond, Sally Apps and Rufus Norris about their reflections on the Commission's deliberations.

    9 min

  8. 09/19/2024

    The Commission Conversations - Rebecca Montacute

    In this 'Commission Conversation' Geoff Barton, Chair of the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, talks to Rebecca Montacute about the Sutton Trust's new report 'Life Lessons' which explores the development of oracy and other life skills in school. Rebecca Montacute is Head of Research and Policy at The Sutton Trust. Since joining the Trust in 2017, she has authored reports on a variety of topics including internships, university access, highly-able students from disadvantaged backgrounds, access to the professions and how parents use financial and cultural resources to boost their children’s educations. Rebecca previously completed a PhD at the University of Manchester, and was a Fellow at the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.

    23 min
See All (63)

About

Commission Conversations are short dialogues, discussions, and debates compiled by the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England. They are designed to explore 'oracy' at a theoretical and practical level, illuminating what oracy is, and why it matters so much.The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England is an independent commission, chaired by Geoff Barton and hosted by Voice 21.

Information

  • Creator
    The Oracy Education Commission
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    63
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The Oracy Education Commission
  • Show Website
    The Commission Conversations