National Momentum Builds for Oracy as The Guardian and Patrons of ESB International join Coalition Calling for Government Action
Jul 29, 2025Education, equality and industry leaders unite to remind government of its oracy pledge.
English Speaking Board (International) Ltd.’s (ESB International) patrons, Meena Kumari Wood and Dr Kush Kanodia, have joined the growing calls urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to honour Labour’s 2023 pledge to embed oracy in the national curriculum.
Meena Kumari Wood
Dr Kush Kanodia
Their voices add weight to a powerful open letter signed by Tina Renshaw CEO of ESB International along with 60 other Oracy champions, including children’s author Michael Rosen and former education secretaries Charles Clarke and Estelle Morris, calling on the new government to prioritise speaking and listening skills as a core educational entitlement. The letter, organised by Voice 21, frames oracy as the “fourth R” in education—alongside reading, writing and arithmetic—and urges the Labour government to deliver on its commitment to ensure every child develops strong communication skills to thrive in a world shaped by artificial intelligence, inequality and rapid social change. Their voices add weight to a powerful open letter signed by 60 leading figures, including children’s author Michael Rosen and former education secretaries Charles Clarke and Estelle Morris, calling on the new government to prioritise speaking and listening skills as a core educational entitlement.
The campaign for oracy has also received significant backing from The Guardian, which published a leader editorial on July 27 describing oracy education as a “low-cost, high-return” policy and stating that the new government “should seize the moment.” The editorial supports the open letter’s message and affirms that teaching young people to express themselves confidently and coherently is essential to a democratic society.
In a separate column, Guardian journalist Simon Jenkins went further, writing that schools are “failing a generation” by neglecting public speaking. He describes oracy as “the very foundation of human interaction,” warning that an education system without structured speaking and debating leaves young people at a disadvantage not just in work, but in life. The founders of ESB International, Christabel Burniston MBE and Jocelyn Bell in 1953, identified that the power of human connection was central to their ideas about Oracy and the assessment of it. Their intention was to focus Oracy education on the interactivity of communication and the personal development it creates. That sense of personal agency and the development and enabling of authentic skilled voices continue s at the core of ESB International’s work today.
“A no brainer in 2025”
Meena Kumari Wood, an educational consultant, trainer, author, Honorary Fellow in Educational Leadership (Univ. Birmingham), Board Member of Chartered College of Teaching and former HMI (Ofsted), Principal (Secondary), Academy Principal (Adult College) and LA Education Adviser, has described the omission of oracy from the government’s interim curriculum review as deeply concerning:
Not to champion the cause of integrating speaking and listening skills—self-expression—into the school curriculum is a complete no-brainer in 2025.
Many young people demonstrate a lack of confidence in self-expression, possess a limited vocabulary, and struggle with face-to-face conversations—especially in difficult or professional contexts. Almost half of young people surveyed by CIPD in 2024 said they were never taught these essential skills at school.
“Oracy is currency for life”
ESB International’s Chief Executive, Tina Renshaw, a signatory of the open letter, has echoed Meena’s concerns and highlighted the practical contribution that ESB International’s unique qualifications can make to oracy education and on the employability skills of young people.
As a vocational awarding organisation, ESB International recognises the valuable currency of oracy for life, work and study. Our most popular qualification among secondary schools is Speech for Employability, which builds confidence and competence in teamwork, business analysis, interview skills, and entrepreneurship. Oracy is not an optional extra, it is a foundation for success—and every child deserves access to it.
“Will Labour Deliver?”
Dr Kush Kanodia, an influential disability rights campaigner and social entrepreneur, emphasised that Labour’s promise to make oracy a central educational priority cannot be allowed to fade into the background:
Will Keir Starmer honour the Labour Party pledge by embedding teaching oracy in the educational curriculum? This moment represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a fairer, more inclusive system that empowers every child with the skills needed for life and work.
Turning Promises into Policy
The Oracy Education Commission recently described oracy as “a foundational building block” and warned that, in an age increasingly shaped by automation, communication skills are more valuable than ever.
As the full report of the government’s curriculum and assessment review approaches, ESB International fully endorses the words of the open letter: “We urge you to turn that promise into lasting change.”
Dr Kush Kanodia Meena Kumari Wood Oracy Patron Social Mobility