Summer ESB News

Professor Dame Alison Peacock summed up the thoughts and feelings in the room very well when she said, “There is nothing

Also speaking were Nadhim Zahawi, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Education, Geoff Barton, General Secretary, the Association of School & College Leaders (ASCL), Professor Dame Alison Peacock, Chartered College’s Chief Executive, and a number of parliamentarians who had expressed an interest in oracy. The audience listened to speeches from young people from ESB, The English Speaking Union, School 21, and the charity Reclaim, on what oracy meant to them, and the difference it has made to their lives. Following the speeches, Emma chaired a whole-room discussion with a focus on the next steps for oracy. Following the great success of this event, which was subsequently featured in the TES and Schools Week, Emma intends to form an Oracy-focused all party parliamentary group in the coming months. ESB will be at the forefront of this, and any other work that champions the value of oracy.

more valuable than giving young people a platform for a chance to be heard and for them to speak passionately about what interests them.” This was echoed by Hrishi when he spoke of how gaining ESB qualifications made him feel. He said, “I had an unparalleled sense of achievement with every ESB qualification I got – it was a brilliant confidence boost for me.”

Alison Coates Business Development Adviser

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