Talk The Talk
Talk The Talk is a UK-registered charity founded in 2013 that delivers in-school oracy workshops for students aged 9–18 across England and Wales, serving more than 44,000 young people in 2024/25 through a network of professional trainers and subsidised delivery partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersHereford, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Talk The Talk does
Talk The Talk is a registered charity (Charity Number 1161251) founded in 2013 and headquartered in Hereford, United Kingdom, with 48 employees. The organisation delivers in-school oracy (speaking and listening) workshops to students aged roughly 9–18 across England and Wales, targeting the 'language gap' between disadvantaged students and their peers. Since 2013 it has worked with over 270,000 young people, delivered more than 11,000 workshops, and provided over 47,000 hours of training; in the 2024/25 academic year alone it engaged more than 44,000 young people.
The product portfolio is structured around five core workshop programmes: Talk About Transition (Years 5–7) for secondary-school transition; Talk About Communication and Talk About Communication Plus (Years 5–13 and Years 8–13) for foundational and advanced presentation and public-speaking skills; Talk About The Future (Years 11–13) for employability, interview, and UCAS preparation; and Talk The Talk Teacher CPD for staff professional development. Workshops are delivered directly in schools by professional expert trainers and qualified teachers at a 1:30 trainer-to-student ratio, using structured communication frameworks (the PEEEP model and a 5-step presentation approach), student workbooks, and free online follow-up resources. External impact evaluations were conducted by the University of Cambridge (Professor John MacBeath, 2016 and 2018) and the National Education Trust (2014), and the programme is accredited at Impact Level 4 by the Skills Builder Partnership.
The business model is a non-profit hybrid. Revenue is not publicly disclosed but is generated through a combination of quote-based workshop delivery fees paid by schools, charitable donations processed via CAF Online, and subsidised delivery via the Jack Petchey Foundation for schools in London and Essex. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, with schools booking through the website or via partner referrals; the Jack Petchey Foundation acts as a channel partner/reseller for funded workshops. The charity is governed by a board of trustees (Steve Phillips appointed Chair in September 2025) and is operationally led by Director Richard Hull, with no parent company, external PE/VC ownership, or subsidiaries.
Talk The Talk firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Talk The Talk
- Legal name
- Talk The Talk
- Website
- https://talkthetalkuk.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Talk The Talk is a UK-registered charity founded in 2013 that delivers in-school oracy workshops for students aged 9–18 across England and Wales, serving more than 44,000 young people in 2024/25 through a network of professional trainers and subsidised delivery partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Talk The Talk industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Oracy Education Workshops
- NAICS
- All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Speech & Debate Camps, Intensives & Bootcamps (EDAMAOAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Teacher/Coach Training & Curriculum for Speech & Debate (EDAMAOAL), Conversation Clubs & Speaking Practice Groups (EDAMAFAB)
Keywords
Where Talk The Talk is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hereford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Talk The Talk business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Charitable Donations: Talk The Talk operates as a registered charity (1161251) funded primarily through generous donations to support day-to-day running costs. Donations can be made through CAF Online.
- Foundation Funding Partnerships: Partnership with Jack Petchey Foundation provides funding for workshop delivery in schools across London and Essex, reducing net cost to participating schools.
- Workshop Delivery Fees: Schools pay for oracy workshop delivery, though specific pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Prices vary by workshop type and year group size.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Workshop programmes for Years 5-13 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Talk The Talk product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Talk The Talk delivers face-to-face oracy workshops to schools across England and Wales, covering Years 5-13. Programmes include Talk About Transition (transition support for Years 5-7), Talk About Communication and Talk About Communication Plus (public speaking and presentation skills for Years 5-13), Talk About The Future (employability and interview preparation for Years 11-13, with a Jack Petchey Foundation funded variant for London/Essex schools), and Talk The Talk Teacher CPD (oracy training for school staff). Workshops are delivered by trained professional trainers and qualified teachers using a 1:30 trainer-to-student ratio, supported by student workbooks and free online follow-up resources.
Product overview
Talk The Talk is an educational charity providing oracy workshops delivered by professional trainers and qualified teachers in schools across England and Wales. The core portfolio includes five workshop programs: Talk About Transition (Years 5-7) for secondary school transition support; Talk About Communication (Years 5-13) and Talk About Communication Plus (Years 8-13) for foundational and advanced oracy skills; Talk About The Future (Years 11-13) focused on employability and interview preparation; and Talk The Talk Teacher CPD for teacher professional development. All workshops maintain a 1:30 trainer-to-student ratio and include student workbooks, follow-up resources, and external impact evaluations. The organization works with whole year groups and has delivered over 11,000 workshops since 2013.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Talk About Transition: Workshop for Years 5-7 focusing on transition to secondary school
- Talk About Communication
- Talk About Communication Plus
- Talk About The Future
- Talk The Talk Teacher CPD
Products and services
- Talk About Transition Workshop programme for Years 5-7 designed to help students transition to secondary school through oracy activities that build confidence, resilience and empathy. Delivered in schools by trained professional trainers and qualified teachers with a 1:30 trainer-to-student ratio.
- Talk About Communication Full-day workshop for Years 5-13 where students learn different modes of human communication, deliver impromptu talks and structure presentations without notes. Sold as a stand-alone workshop programme to UK schools.
- Talk About Communication Plus Advanced communication workshop for Years 8-13 building on foundational oracy skills with more challenging activities and deeper skill development. Delivered in schools by trained professional trainers.
- Talk About The Future Workshop for Years 11-13 focused on employability skills, interview techniques, presentation skills and preparing students for further education, employment or training with confidence. Accredited at Impact Level 4 by The Skills Builder Partnership.
- Talk About The Future - Jack Petchey Foundation Jack Petchey Foundation funded version of the Talk About The Future workshop for students in London and Essex, covering employability skills and mock interviews. Distributed via the foundation partnership, which subsidises workshop costs for eligible schools.
- Talk The Talk Teacher CPD Continuing professional development workshop for teachers on oracy techniques and classroom communication strategies, enabling schools to embed oracy skills in everyday teaching practice. Sold as a stand-alone CPD offering to UK schools.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 270,000 young people worked with since 2013
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Talk The Talk
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Talk The Talk technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Talk The Talk partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Skills Builder PartnershipcoreTalk About The Future workshop meets the requirements for Impact Level 4 by The Skills Builder Partnership. Partnership focuses on building essential skills for young people, aligning with Skills Builder Partnership's research on essential skills for success.
- University of CambridgecoreProfessor John MacBeath, Professor Emeritus at University of Cambridge, conducted comprehensive evaluations of Talk The Talk's student oracy programmes in 2016 and 2018. Findings showed consistent trends in improved confidence ratings from all participants.
- Oracy NetworkminorTalk The Talk is a member of the Oracy Network, supporting the Oracy All-Party Parliamentary Group's Speak for Change Inquiry. Network provides advocacy and policy support for oracy education.
- Fair Education AllianceminorTalk The Talk is a member of the Fair Education Alliance, a coalition working to close the attainment gap for disadvantaged young people.
- Oracy All-Party Parliamentary GroupminorTalk The Talk supported the Oracy APPG's Speak for Change Inquiry which highlighted the impact of the pandemic on spoken language gaps between disadvantaged students and peers.
- National Education TrustminorNational Education Trust conducted evaluation in 2014 to assess whether Talk The Talk programme helped students and teachers understand and communicate with confidence.
- Shakespeare Schools FestivalminorTalk The Talk trainer Rowena English has a long-standing relationship with Shakespeare Schools Festival, combining oracy training with performance arts education.
- Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in EnglandminorTalk The Talk is listed as a partner/supporter of the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England.
- Council of British International Schools (COBIS)minorTalk The Talk is listed as a partner of the Council of British International Schools.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Talk The Talk competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Debate Mate: UK charity running debate and public speaking programmes in schools, using a similar in-school workshop and trainer-led model targeting similar Year 5–13 segments.
- Voice 21: UK-based charity focused on improving oracy in schools; the most direct comparable given overlapping mission, school-based delivery model, and presence in the same England/Wales footprint.
- Speakers Trust: UK charity that delivers public speaking and communication workshops in schools and youth settings; comparable product offering, customer base, and delivery mechanism.
Others
- Shakespeare Schools Festival: UK charity producing Shakespeare performances in schools with an existing Talk The Talk partnership; comparable delivery vehicle (trainers in schools) but arts-performance-led rather than oracy-led.
- Skills Builder Partnership: UK social enterprise building essential skills (including speaking) in education; an existing Talk The Talk partner that is comparable as a curriculum-anchored skills provider rather than a workshop vendor.
- Council of British International Schools (COBIS): Industry body for British international schools; a listed Talk The Talk partner that signals the international-school expansion channel rather than a direct workshop competitor.
Broad incumbents
- English-Speaking Union (ESU): Long-established educational charity promoting oracy, debate, and public speaking across the UK and internationally; broader portfolio but overlapping school-facing programmes.
- I CAN / The Communication Trust: UK charity focused on children's speech, language and communication; overlaps with Talk The Talk's foundational oracy mission, particularly in primary and SEND school segments.
- LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art): Offers communication, performance and public speaking examinations and training to school-age learners; broader performing-arts focus but directly comparable speaking-skills offerings.
Regional players
- National Youth Theatre: UK performing-arts charity for young people that builds spoken performance confidence; comparable skills-development mission for adolescents, though primarily UK-based with different delivery model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Talk The Talk social profiles
Digital presenceTalk The Talk financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Talk The Talk leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Talk The Talk funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Talk The Talk M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Talk The Talk
What does Talk The Talk do?
Talk The Talk delivers face-to-face oracy workshops to schools across England and Wales, covering Years 5-13. Programmes include Talk About Transition (transition support for Years 5-7), Talk About Communication and Talk About Communication Plus (public speaking and presentation skills for Years 5-13), Talk About The Future (employability and interview preparation for Years 11-13, with a Jack Petchey Foundation funded variant for London/Essex schools), and Talk The Talk Teacher CPD (oracy training for school staff). Workshops are delivered by trained professional trainers and qualified teachers using a 1:30 trainer-to-student ratio, supported by student workbooks and free online follow-up resources.
Is Talk The Talk a public or private company?
Talk The Talk is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Talk The Talk founded?
Talk The Talk was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Talk The Talk based?
Talk The Talk is headquartered in Hereford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Talk The Talk make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Charitable Donations are the primary driver. The others are foundation Funding Partnerships and workshop Delivery Fees.
Who are Talk The Talk's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Debate Mate, Voice 21 and Speakers Trust. Others are Shakespeare Schools Festival, Skills Builder Partnership and Council of British International Schools (COBIS). Broad incumbents are English-Speaking Union (ESU), I CAN / The Communication Trust and LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art). National Youth Theatre is listed as a regional player.
Does Talk The Talk have an API?
No public API is recorded for Talk The Talk.
What industry is Talk The Talk in?
Talk The Talk's product category is Oracy Education Workshops. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMAOAN, Speech & Debate Camps, Intensives & Bootcamps, with a secondary code of EDAMAOAL, Teacher/Coach Training & Curriculum for Speech & Debate. Its NAICS code is 61169 and its SIC code is 8200.