Meet this year's inspiring session speakers

Maria Arnold is Assistant Head and Oracy Lead at Southfields Primary School in Peterborough. With experience leading across a range of primary school subjects, Maria has led Oracy for over three years, developing practice at her current school and becoming an accredited Centre of Excellence. Throughout her time as Oracy Lead, Maria has worked on various projects and participated in Voice 21 pilots, being part of an initial wave of Oracy schools. 

I am a Deputy Headteacher at Hazelbury Primary School in North London. My role encompasses oracy and driving the sustained improvement and development across the school (as well as leading on English, attendance and assessment). We feel a high quality oracy education is imperative to creating Citizens of the future and  put oracy at the heart of our school. 

Jaz is the School Improvement Lead for Leigh Trust. She has 27 years of varied and multi faceted experience in Primary Education, reflecting the nature of the schools that she has  worked in across inner-city Birmingham, Sandwell, Dudley and Worcestershire. Her roles  have ranged from teaching and leading across both Key Stages, Assistant Head Teacher,  Deputy Head Teacher, accredited SLE for School Improvement to Educational Consultant. 
 
As strategic lead for oracy she has witnessed the impact of Voice 21 initiatives on the children in all Trust schools and is proud to see how this practice elevates learning and has resulted in one of the Trust schools becoming a Centre of Excellence in 2024.

Kathy has been teaching for 15 years: predominantly English but has also taught Drama and most recently Philosophy. Working most of her career as a  lead practitioner, Kathy loves all things learning and teaching and has enjoyed her time as strategic lead for literacy over the past few years, seeing the impact it has on young people. 

Kathy has embraced working with Voice 21 and enjoyed embedding oracy opportunities within different curricula at Caludon Castle. She is most proud of developing an exciting new Year 7 Philosophy and oracy curriculum over the past year and seeing how much the students have enjoyed it and learnt from it.

My name is Samantha Kelly and I’ve been teaching 16 years. I’m currently Head of School working with E-ACT Academy Trust. I have a passion for literacy and making sure children leave school able to communicate effectively. I have worked alongside Voice21 for 3 years and last year my school was accredited as a Centre of Excellence. I’m now also working with another school at the beginning of their Oracy journey to share this practice.

Dr Rupert Knight was a teacher in schools in London and Nottingham. He currently works at the University of Nottingham on teacher education and other postgraduate courses and continues to collaborate with local schools on oracy projects. He is the author of the books Classroom Talk (2020) and Classroom Talk in Practice (2022) and a number of articles on oracy.

Christivie is the Project Manager at BLAM UK, where she champions educational initiatives focused on Black British history and cultural heritage. With a passion for linguistic diversity and inclusive education, she leads workshops on Black British English Oracy, helping educators create affirming spaces for all voices. Christivie’s expertise lies in promoting effective communication and cultural awareness, ensuring that every child's unique linguistic background is valued and celebrated in the learning environment.

Adam Power-Annand is a highly regarded figure in the realm of arts education. Since graduating from Rose Bruford College in 1989, Adam has undertaken various roles, including actor, drama practitioner, visiting lecturer in FE and HE, and youth theatre director. He has been leading the Speech Bubbles project since 2009 and his first book, ‘That’s my story! Drama for Confidence, Communication and Creativity in KS1 and beyond’, was published by Routledge in March 2024.

Chaitan Rajania is a Senior Leader across Madani Schools Federation in Leicester. Madani Schools Federation's work with Voice 21 over the past 6 years in Leicester highlights a commitment to enhancing student learning and community engagement through the power of Oracy.   By integrating Cultural Literacy into their Oracy approach, Madani Schools aim to help students develop a clear sense of identity and an understanding of diverse cultures. This prepares them to engage meaningfully with their own community and beyond. The goal is to cultivate a sense of social responsibility and the ability to contribute to the greater social good. 

Hi everyone! My name is Yosh and I am the Facilitation Lead at Bold Voices, a social enterprise on a mission to empower school communities to recognise and tackle issues of gender inequality and gender-based violence. With an academic background in linguistics and plenty of experience in facilitating discourse around tricky and often polarising topics with young people, I find myself championing the transformative power of conversation everyday - what a pleasure to be here!

Alison is Head Teacher at Leigh Primary School which has recently become an accredited  Oracy Centre of Excellence. Alison has been a Head Teacher since June 2019 and Head  Teacher at Leigh Primary School for 2 years. Before becoming a Head Teacher, Alison has had  different senior leadership roles at a number of schools across Leigh Trust. Her passion has  always been English with Alison leading English after completing her NQT year at her first  school. During her time at Leigh Primary, Alison, the Oracy Lead, and Champion have driven  the rapid development of oracy in the school. A rich culture of oracy is rooted in the strong  vision created at Leigh; the school now takes a leading role for oracy across Leigh Trust.

Hiza is the Oracy Lead at Leigh Primary School, where she also leads the Maths and  Computing curriculum. Before stepping into her current role, she served as the Oracy  Champion for two years, during which time she collaborated with the Oracy Lead to develop  and enhance the school's oracy practice. Their efforts culminated in the school becoming an  accredited Centre of Excellence. Hiza has found great fulfilment in fostering children's oracy  skills, and witnessing the positive impact on their development and confidence in being able  to articulate themselves.

Emily Thomas is a teacher currently working as the Oracy and Key Stage 1 Leader at Pinner Wood School. In 2022, Emily's dedication to Oracy earned her a highly commended prize as part of the Douglas Barnes Award in collaboration with Voice 21. This piece of research was further published in the English Association Journal. She has conducted impactful Oracy CPD training sessions for primary and secondary schools across North West London, and has worked with the Big 10 (Big Education) to showcase her school’s signature practice. Emily was a recent panellist on the FED Power of Oracy webinar and continues to advocate for the impact of Oracy in education.

Cathy and Nikki (joint oracy leads at St Barnabas CE Primary in Worcester) hold an impressive track record of nearly 50 years of teaching experience across the primary key stages. Between them, they also hold the titles of Assistant Headteacher, Maths Lead, English Lead, Curriculum Lead, KS1 and KS2 team leaders. They are passionate about making a difference to children's lives and believe oracy is the key to unlocking potential. Cathy and Nikki are leading their school into its third year of Voice 21 membership and are aiming for Centre of Excellence status later this year.

Annie Griffiths is the Assistant Headteacher, English and Oracy Lead at the Park Hill Thorns Federation. Annie has been a primary school teacher for 11 years and this is the second year that Annie has worked with Voice 21. Prior to this role, Annie worked in a school in Solihull for 8 years as English Lead and a Writing Moderator. 

Words are the portal to freedom. As English/Oracy Lead at CELC, a secondary PRU in Coventry, creative writing is her specialism. Sharon published ‘AURUM’, an anthology of her students’ prose and encourages students to mentally visit the ‘shadowlands’; the strange places we inhabit between nightmares and daydreams. Abstract thinking and elevated vocabulary form the basis of unique writing. She uses ‘Lyricature’, to produce GCSE prose, ensuring thoughts and memories become ink sculptures.

My name is Danielle Egan and I am an Teacher of English at Coventry Extended Learning Centre. I have previously taught English and Drama in mainstream schools and have fully embraced the move to alternative provision. It is a true privilege to work with troubled young people: a privilege to help them break down the barriers they have built and give them the key to unlock their, often suppressed and forgotten, inner voice.

Joe’s a musician, producer and spoken word artist from Birmingham. Playing in musical projects across the UK and Europe, Joe’s featured on BBC Arts, 1XTRA, Asian Network and BBC Doctors. He campaigns internationally for social justice and facilitates music/lyric workshops in schools, centres and PRU’s. Joe was artist in resident for Coventry City of Culture 2021 and is published by Little Tiger Books. Joe is passionate about young people
expressing themselves through music and lyricature.

My name is Alfie Chapman, and I am 13 years old, from Birmingham. Some of my favourite things are playing Fifa, watching football, spending time with my friends, and enjoying a Double Big Mac meal with no salad and a Coke. The best day of my life was the first time I went to a football game—Birmingham City vs. Swansea. The atmosphere was jaw-dropping; it was so loud and exciting that I loved every minute, even though we lost. On the other hand, there are a few things I can't stand, like violence, bullying, maths, and dogs.

My name is Mooram Adam, and I am 13 years old from Sudan. My favourite things include eating lasagne, chocolate, and playing basketball. The best day of my life was my cousin’s wedding, which was amazing. Everyone was dressed up, and the bride was so happy, with lots of dancing. However, I cannot stand stupidity, dogs, and rain.

My name is Shnela Salih, I am 15 years old, and I’m from Kurdistan. My favourite things are visiting Kurdistan, going shopping, and enjoying the summertime. The best day of my life was when my baby brother was born. However, I can't stand winter and the rain.

Josie Rossiter is a 16 year old student at The Gryphon School. She is passionate about the arts and creativity becoming more valued within education contexts. Josie also has a keen interest in biology and loves cats, and is planning on becoming a vet when she's older. 

A 14-year-old student at The Gryphon School, Sherborne, Tom enjoys beekeeping, fishing, and learning sign language to communicate with his Down's Syndrome cousin who is deaf. The experience has led Tom to becoming a strong believer that learning sign language should be part of every school curriculum. 

Esme is a 14 year old student who adores the wonders of space and astronomy, which have always fascinated her even as a young child. She hopes to become an astronomer when she grows up, and her TEDx Lighting Talk is - surprise surprise - about space, and why we are unique!