Voice 21

Voice 21 is a national charity that equips schools, educators and leaders with the oracy expertise to build speaking and listening into the curriculum, teaching and learning and wider school life,  helping every child develop the confidence, skills and voice they need to thrive in school and beyond.

Founded in 2015, Voice 21 works in partnership with teachers and school leaders to embed oracy as a whole-school approach, tailored to the priorities and values of each school. Over the past decade they have supported more than 2,500 schools and reached over 200,000 students, and their network of Voice 21 Oracy Schools and 54 Oracy Centres of Excellence continues to grow. Voice 21 places a particular emphasis on equity, prioritising schools serving children facing disadvantage, higher proportions of EAL learners, and communities in underserved regions.

Voice 21′s mission is to make oracy an ordinary part of every child’s education,  not as an add-on, but embedded across curriculum areas, classroom practice and wider school life. Their work is grounded in research, including through the We Need To Talk report from the independent Oracy Education Commission, and supported by practical tools including the Oracy Framework (developed in partnership with Oracy Cambridge) and the Oracy Benchmarks.

Who do they support? Voice 21 supports primary, secondary and special schools across England, with a focus on whole-school implementation of oracy education.

Benefits of membership Voice 21 Oracy Schools membership includes access to face-to-face and online training, the Voice 21 Exchange platform, national and regional oracy networks, and events including the annual Great Oracy Exhibition and Speaking Summit.