Who we are
Justine Andrew
Based in Leeds, Justine is Head of Education and Skills at KPMG and is also Head of the University Partnership Team. She leads KPMG’s work with some of the largest Education providers nationally as well as being at the forefront of work in the skills space. In her University Partnership role she is thinking differently about how providers and employers can work together across a range of areas, including embedding skills such as oracy into the curriculum. She has a particular interest in the economic development of ‘place’ and the role of collaboration to achieve that.
Sally Apps
Having begun her career as an English teacher in Manchester in 2003, Sally Apps achieved her first headship a decade later, becoming the Principal of Bristol Metropolitan Academy. Sally is currently Education Director at the Cabot Learning Federation, and works alongside the Department for Education to support schools’ trust development in the South West, with a particular focus on supporting Alternative and Specialised Provision.
Geoff Barton (Chair)
Geoff Barton was an English teacher for 32 years. He was also Head of English, Deputy Head, and then Headteacher of a large comprehensive school for 15 years. For the past 7 years he has been General Secretary of the Association of School & College Leaders, representing 25,000 senior leaders in education across the UK. As he steps down from that role, Geoff is proud to be becoming the Chair of the Commission on Oracy Education.
Jeffrey Boakye
Jeffrey Boakye is an educator, author and broadcaster. He is a Senior Teaching Fellow at Manchester Institute of Education and has authored seven books including I Heard What You Said, which explores how we can dismantle racism in the classroom. Jeffrey was an English teacher for 15 years, first in London and then East Yorkshire. and was part of the team who, in partnership with the University of Cambridge, developed the Oracy Framework.
Stephen Coleman
Stephen Coleman is Professor of Political Communication at the University of Leeds and was co-investigator on the UKRI-funded Speaking Citizens research project. He presents the ‘Sound of Politics’ podcast and is author of several books, including ‘How People Talk About Politics: Brexit and After’ (Bloomsbury, 2020). For the past fifteen years he has taught modules on confident self-expression to University undergraduates.
Christine Counsell
Christine Counsell started her career as a history teacher and transitioned into leadership roles at John Cabot City Technology College, Bristol, and as local authority adviser for Gloucestershire, before leading the Secondary History PGCE at The University of Cambridge and later becoming the Director of Education at Inspiration Trust. A renowned expert in curriculum design, she now runs Opening Worlds, a knowledge-rich programme for teaching history, geography and religion in primary schools.
Rob Drummond
Rob Drummond is Professor of Sociolinguistics at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he researches, teaches and writes about the relationship between spoken language and identity. He recently led the community-focused Manchester Voices project, exploring the accents, dialects and identities of people in Greater Manchester, and he co-leads The Accentism Project, which strives to challenge and raise awareness of language-based prejudice. Rob does a lot of public-facing academic work, and is the author of 'You’re All Talk: Why We Are What We Speak.'
Sarah Houghton
Sarah Houghton is Director of Mental Health Workforce Development at Place2Be, a charity that provides high-quality mental health services in schools. With over a decade in programme design and delivery, Sarah joined Place2Be in 2018 as a Programme Leader. She previously led leadership development programmes in education with the Future Leaders Trust and then Ambition School Leadership. She is also a Gestalt psychotherapist.
Rufus Norris
Rufus Norris, a multi-award winning theatre and film director, achieved critical acclaim with his West End revival of Cabaret, winning two Olivier Awards, and his debut feature film Broken, premiered at Cannes Film Festival, earning the Golden Eye Award at Zurich Film Festival. As the artistic director and chief executive of the National Theatre since 2015, he advocates for creative education, emphasizing the importance of oracy alongside factual learning.
Sonia Thompson
Sonia Thompson, Headteacher of St Matthew’s C of E Primary School in Birmingham, leads initiatives to enhance education, collaborating with Oracy Cambridge on a Key Stage One oracy development project. Serving as a trustee for EEF and Classics For All, she advocates for Latin education at St Matthew’s. Sonia's book, 'An Ethic of Excellence in Action,' provides practical insights into implementing Ron Berger’s educational philosophy, while her participation in 'The Uses of Oracy' conference showcases her commitment to inclusive educational practices.