Voice 21 Voice North East Impact Journal 2024/25

Voice 21 is the national oracy education charity working to transform life chances through talk. Their 2024/25 Voice North East Impact Journal covers the largest oracy initiative of its kind in the UK — 19,000 students across 95 schools — with 81% of third-year teachers now confident oracy practitioners and the network set to expand to 80 more schools in 2025/26.

Report snapshot
19,000 students in 95 schools across Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland benefitting from high-quality oracy education Key Metric 1
226 teachers trained; 81% of teachers in third-year schools are confident oracy practitioners (up from 48% in year one) Key Metric 2
36% network growth in 2024/25; 80 more schools joining in 2025/26 across North East Combined Authority Key Metric 3
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📋About

Oracy teacher training, school membership programmes, curriculum development, professional development, regional network coordination, Oracy Centres of Excellence Custom geography from upload: North East England

📊Key Metrics

19,000 students in 95 schools across Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland benefitting from high-quality oracy education Key Metric 1
226 teachers trained; 81% of teachers in third-year schools are confident oracy practitioners (up from 48% in year one) Key Metric 2
36% network growth in 2024/25; 80 more schools joining in 2025/26 across North East Combined Authority Key Metric 3

Key Outcomes

  • 82% of teachers say teaching and learning has improved; 78% say oracy has contributed to students' academic attainment
  • 74% of teachers say oracy has helped students develop their love of learning; 61% say it has supported students' wellbeing
  • Voice North East is the largest oracy initiative of its kind in the country — setting the national standard for oracy education delivery

📍Geography

Other

2024

Impact Report 2023/24

32,000+ children reached across core programmes; 20,315 children supported to access real working farms
Key Metric 1
41.8% of children in partner schools meet EVER6 Free School Meals criteria (national average 26.3%) — demonstrating focus on highest-disadvantage communities
Key Metric 2
95% of children felt farms were important after their visit (up 11% on prior year); 100% of teachers said programmes gave pupils new opportunities they wouldn't otherwise have accessed
Key Metric 3
Programmes target children least likely to access green space — particularly those in urban deprivation, with SEND, or facing other barriers to outdoor experience
2024

Impact Story 2020–2024

63 projects backed with £5 million in funding, unlocking £60 million+ in follow-on investment — £12 for every £1 given; 8 million+ children and young people engaged through funded projects
Key Metric 1
17 million+ people reached globally through expert articles co-created with insight network across 26 countries; 25,000+ people took part in 2,000+ Big Education Conversations across England since 2021
Key Metric 2
£1 million Big Education Challenge prize fund launched in 2022, backing 15 finalists and 6 award winners; 40 cross-sector experts publishing via global insight network; 35 countries holding Big Education Conversations
Key Metric 3
Early-stage backing of Frontline (2013) — now England's largest social work charity, training 2,400 social workers reaching 150,000+ families; Voice 21 (2014) — now working with 203,000 students in 852 schools; oracy embedded in cross-party education priorities
2024

Annual Report 2023/24

100,000+ children now reached through programmes — nearly doubling in one year the reach achieved in the previous five years combined; 16 new schools supported through School Transformation programme (6,303 pupils)
Key Metric 1
76 chefs from 126 schools graduated from School Chef Educator programme reaching 36,414 children daily; total income grew 46% to £1,654,185; most successful fundraising year to date raising £1,548,528
Key Metric 2
88%+ of school leaders reported pupils consuming more fruit and vegetables; 82%+ reported improvement in pupil behaviour; 65%+ reported improvement in pupil concentration; 100% of chefs satisfied or very satisfied with their job
Key Metric 3
Won BBC Food and Farming Derek Cooper Outstanding Achievement Award 2023; Survation polling found a third of parents can no longer afford school meals; gave evidence to House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee and Youth Select Committee