Geoff Barton at Kingfisher Conference

It was a privilege to welcome Geoff Barton CBE to close our recent Kingfisher Conference as our keynote speaker.

Geoff gave a rallying call to everyone to create a welcoming home for those with special educational needs within local mainstream schools. Geoff also called for oracy to be at the heart of what we do: it helps in all forms of literacy; it helps young people be more critical about the changing world around them; it gives them a voice at a time when adults need to listen carefully.

Geoff Barton was an English teacher (for 32 years), headteacher of a Suffolk comprehensive school (for 15 years), and General Secretary of the Association of School & College Leaders (for 7 years), representing 25,000 education leaders across the UK.

He is patron of the English & Media Centre, a Founding Fellow of the English Association, a trustee of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the Education Policy Institute. Most recently he chaired the Commission on Oracy in Education (2024) and the IPPR Inclusion Taskforce (2025).

He was awarded the CBE in the 2025 New Year’s honours list for services to education.