A new commission will make recommendations for increased access to oracy education.

Highlighting the importance of spoken language to children’s learning and life chances, the commission, led by Geoff Barton - outgoing General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders - will examine speaking and listening skills at a time of technological and social change.

According to a YouGov poll, increased access to technology is fuelling concerns among employers and parents that it has a negative impact on children and young people’s speaking and listening skills.

Launching a call for evidence, the commission aims to set out the purpose of oracy education in schools and to propose a blueprint for how an entitlement to effective oracy education can be delivered across all stages and phases of statutory education. The deadline for submissions to the call for evidence is 15 May 2024.  

The Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, which will report in September 2024, is an independent commission hosted by the oracy education charity Voice 21.