VOX POPULI EDUCATIONAL CIC
VOX POPULI EDUCATIONAL CIC
Oracy is important for future study, life and work.
... active learning, critical thinking,
enhancing students’ engagement &
understanding
UK Curriculum Review 2025
Transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.
All this we can do. All this we will do."
Barack Obama
Vox Populi Educational CIC is a not-for-profit community interest
company focused on enabling the least privileged to access the best education and employment opportunities. Together with our sister company Vox Populi Ltd
we have been designing and running training courses since 2008 both in the UK and, online, in Korea.
We work from primary school year 5 to university MA level and beyond:
in 2025 our youngest student was 9, our oldest 57.
Social mobility, inclusivity and creativity are at the core of what we do - our aims are to precisely target our help at the most disadvantaged
(as measured by eligibility for free school meals) and to be one of the most cost effective organisations in our sector.
At primary level we celebrate the joy of learning with workshops that bring diverse classrooms together to enhance critical thinking and creativity.
At secondary level we work on communication skills and on encouraging retention in education. A particular target is increasing participation
in STEM education pathways - whether at A level, V-Tech or BTEC, and to encourage students to have high aspirations.
At 6th form level and in colleges we support teachers and students to maximise university or apprenticishiop acceptance rates,
especially at Russell Group universities and in degree-apprenticships schemes.
We also work to bring those doing arts/humanities and science GCSEs together: in tomorrow's world, everyone will need AI skills and critical thinking abilities:
Scientists need wide experience and breadth of knowledge to encourate innovation. Artists need an appreciation of science and skills to help them
weather a coming AI employment crisis.
We offer teaching, mentoring and support and have a teriffic success rate helping both individuals and institutions.
A particular speciality is 'interdisciplinary studies': providing cultural enrichment in easily accessible short chunks
that mirror the online environment students are familiar with.
We also do one-to-one coaching, mentoring
and online sessions, specialising in empowering those from less advantaged backgrounds to access better futures.
Oracy is a new and rather vague term - outside education there is little understanding of what it involves or why it is important.
Our unique skills-based approach is animated by a vision of why oracy needs to be central to teaching and how it enriches students lives.
Operating in an almost entirely oral environment enables studtnts with dyslexia and ADHD to fully participate, as equals
We set ten goals for oracy, each built around a skill that can be taught.
In Key Stage 2 concentrating on year 5, we look at stories, how they work, what they
achieve, how to create them, without losing the magic. Within an oral,
rather than a written environment,
we enable pupils to write, tell and act out stories in a fun and
confident manner. Slower learners, EAL pupils and those with special
needs are integated into inclusive
and entertaining lessons. The benficial effects are also evident in year 6 when students are taking their SATS tests.
More details
Key Stage 3 is an important time when students are working out
who they are and developing social skills. Informal communication and
negoitiation are key.
Within the curriculum the emphasis is on skills coaching in a
non-threatening environment, increasing orality across all subjects. We also begin our interdisciplinary studies curriculum - nudging students into choosing STEM carrers, and
equipping all students with skills to cope with a future dominated by rapid technological change.
At Key Stage 4 the move is towards presentation and
advocacy and the context is that of pitching ideas - oracy with intent.
By the end of this
stage students should be able to replace an essay or longform exam
answer with an oral presentation.
Dragons Den and TED talks are good models. Oracy sits alongside and
helps with GCSE preparation in a crowded timetable.
In Sixth Form our ideal is a political speech: understanding how
they work, how to write and how to deliver them - and how to take
questions.
At this stage the aim is to integrate all the skills learnt so far,
preparing students for employment or further education. We work on applications prcess - to university, jobs and apprenticeships.
Our effect on sixth form culture has been described as 'transformational.'
At Colleges and night-schools our aim is to replace the division between graduate and non-graduate by promoting any-age study. We also work with those
doing V-Tech and BTEC craft qualifications to ensure the best outcomes in employment or apprenticeship. A partcular interst is encouraging mature studenthood.
"Your workshop was truly a blast! You would be pleased to hear that I am now applying what you taught me writing open letters, pledges, speeches, and questions for MPs and Peers in Parliament representing campaigns with good causes. I probably wouldn’t have passed my interviews without your coaching!" [ML]
Highly engaging and creatively structured, the content was expertly designed, providing our students with an invaluable learning experience and a level of expertise and real-world insight that we are unable to provide within a school setting. It encouraged students to engage in higher-order thinking and to think critically and creatively. {FC, Asst. Head, Secondary School, Hounslow.
"The Vox Pop team trained our Sixth Form students in presentation skills for (...the National Gallery's Articulation...) public speaking competition. They were passionate, professional and very well prepared. The sessions were engaging and thought-provoking, going well beyond the standard curriculum at that level. Their intellect and enthusiasm are an inspiration to those who engage with them. Highly recommended." [AD, High Attainers Lead, Chelsea & Westminster]
"I used some of the tough-interview techniques in an interview for a Civil Service internship and got an offer! Your teaching over the course was hugely valuable! " [AW]
"I often think back to the wonderful sessions you ran .. they definitely helped prepare me for what was to come, and I thought of you both every time I went to the BBC to film / record for radio " [SB - Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year]
" A great set of workshops that have really helped me, but also go a long way in distinguishing the course against other universities." [AR]
CEO & Founder
Simon studied stage direction at Theatr Clwyd, politics at Cambridge, medicine at Oxford then worked as a medical researcher before joining the BBC as a trainee. He worked in departments as diverse as the Natural History Unit, Religion and Light Entertainment ending up as News Output Editor for BBC World TV, training a generation of presenters, reporters and journalists. He's lectured in journalism at Goldsmiths and taught diplomacy at SOAS, founding Vox Populi in 2008. The company has worked with over 2000 clients: charities, schools, universities, campaign and political groups as well as tech startups.
Neuro-linguistics, narrative, performance
Julia studied law at King’s College London, before qualifying and working as a teacher. She went on to train as an actress, appearing in many lead roles for the next 15 years, including the BBC's 'Round the Horne', while simultaneously running creative communication workshops on senior executive and masters' programmes at London Business School, Oxford and SOAS universities, amongst others. She has over 25 years’ experience of working with clients from the banking, legal, communications and leisure industries..
Broadcast consultant, presentation skills trainer
Martine is an international journalist and has been presenting on the BBC News Channel since 2000, interviewing world leaders and covering top stories such as the Paris bombings and the death of the Duke of Edinburgh. She studied Geography at the University of Leeds and worked at local news outlets, such as BBC Radio Leicester and Newsroom Southeast, before becoming the face of BBC World TV's Asia/US News. In 2022 she won the BBC's celebrity Mastermind contest. Martine is a campaigner for women's issues within the BBC, working with the National Union of Journalists to achieve pay parity for male and female News staff .
Speech, narrative, performance
Karen read classics at Cambridge and trained as an actor at Mountview Academy. She leads workshops in influencing and public speaking for Executive Education at Saïd Business School, Oxford University. She is a Consultant at the Centre for Charity Effectiveness at Bayes Business School, and with Vox Populi's schools programme. Her diverse range of clients include the International Rescue Committee, Fluor, TuneIn Radio, Flag Communications and the Royal Academy of Engineering. She specialises in female empowerment.
Broadcast: radio lead, interviewing, journalism
Lawrence is a well-known international broadcaster. For millions of listeners he was the voice of the BBC World Service's morning news show and has interviewed presidents, politicians, poets as well as normal people caught up in the maelstrom of the news agenda from Ougadougou to Las Vegas. He read English at Oxford and was for many years the BBC's culture correspondent, working in China, Africa and around Europe. He has taught at London's School of Oriental and African Studies as well as with Vox Populi's schools programme