鈥淚鈥檓 certainly not coming in to man the barricades for strike action,鈥 Geoff Barton told me almost exactly seven years ago when I visited his school in Bury St Edmunds. Ironically, in his final year as general secretary of the , he almost did exactly that. Had it not been halted for a 6.5 per cent pay deal, the school leaders鈥 union鈥檚 historic ballot would almost certainly have passed tough thresholds for industrial action. That pay dispute, conducted with what he says was an 鈥渆xtraordinary sense of discipline鈥 by the four unions, is a proud achievement for Barton. It is also something that 鈥減robably strengthened the profession. It鈥檚 certainly strengthened ASCL鈥. However, he still describes it as a 鈥渟qualid period鈥, admitting 鈥渨e didn’t get anywhere near the kind of deal which the profession would want鈥. 鈥業 was the storyteller鈥 It was ASCL鈥檚 support for members during the 鈥渕ost difficult bit鈥 of the pandemic that was 鈥減robably鈥 his proudest moment, he tells me as we sit down at a Westminster hotel ahead of his glitzy send-off on Tuesday in the House of Commons. As schools faced 鈥渙ften contradictory鈥 guidance, an 鈥渆xtraordinary team effort鈥 from union staff kept members informed via Barton鈥檚 ubiquitous video briefings. 鈥淚 was the mouthpiece. I was the storyteller for all of that, but other people were picking and choosing which bits of the story needed to be told,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 think we’ll probably look back and think that was a defining moment for us.鈥 Before he made the surprise decision in 2016 to challenge ASCL council鈥檚 preferred candidate for general secretary, Barton was looking forward to retiring from a headship and travelling the country as an English and literacy consultant. It is another irony, then, that he has just been appointed to lead an oracy commission for Voice 21, a charity co-founded by Peter Hyman, a senior aide to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. Labour wants to weave oracy throughout the curriculum, offering what Barton calls an 鈥渉istorical moment for this to cut through in a way that it wouldn鈥檛 otherwise鈥. ‘We need oracy commission to cut through’ 鈥淚 think what I would hope we might be able to do, whether Labour gets in or not, for any incoming administration is say, 鈥榟ere are a number of quite practical policy proposals. Pick and choose the ones you want to do. We’ve done the thinking on your behalf鈥.鈥 The commission will be 鈥渟hort and punchy鈥, reporting by September in time to inform debate at the party conferences. Barton, a keen DJ who is famous within the sector for presenting friends and colleagues with CD mixtapes, will record 鈥渓oads and loads of audio鈥 and build a library of interviews for the project. He also believes the commission鈥檚 line-up 鈥 boasting names such as curriculum guru Christine Counsell and National Theatre boss Rufus Norris 鈥 means it will be 鈥渋ndependent鈥. 鈥淚 didn’t want it having the same old faces there, the evangelists. If anything, to make it cut through, we need to have people who will give us some critical challenge to it.鈥 Barton, who insists he is 鈥渘ot retiring鈥 just retiring from things I didn’t want to do anymore鈥, is coy about whether he would want to be more involved in Labour鈥檚 curriculum reforms. He says there would be 鈥減rojects which might come up鈥, but 鈥淚 don’t want to be looking back鈥. Invitations to speak about his time at ASCL will be rejected. He does not want to 鈥渓ine manage anyone ever again鈥, and insists there is 鈥渘o way as someone who has taught a lesson seven years ago, I’m going to tell anyone how to teach鈥. 鈥淎 few people asked me if I want to be a governor or a trustee. Not really. It鈥檚 not my skillset. I don’t want to be wheeled out as yesterday鈥檚 man, talking about what education was like. So, we will wait and see.鈥 Williamson ‘dealt a very difficult card’ In his seven years, Barton has worked with eight education secretaries. He wishes he had spent 鈥渓onger working with Justine Greening鈥, who he describes as 鈥渧ery smart and very savvy鈥. Damian Hinds continued her work on developing teachers鈥 early careers, before a 鈥渉amster wheel of just lots and lots of different people with varying levels of interest鈥. Gavin Williamson 鈥淧eople would assume Gavin Williamson was the hardest to work with,鈥 Barton says, 鈥渂ut I think he was dealt a very difficult card by Number 10. 鈥淎nd, at the very least, he was incredibly human and personable 鈥 and funny, actually.鈥 There was 鈥渟omething less tribal than, say, with the current secretary of state, who when you Google her, you know that she is essentially driven by the fact that she criticises the unions of Knowsley for the quality of her education鈥. What is the best advice that he can give Pepe Di鈥橧asio, his successor? 鈥淵ou have got members who are doing all kinds of roles in all kinds of institutions, in all parts of the UK, all of whom are paying a subscription where they want you as general secretary to be speaking on behalf of them. 鈥淭herefore, my advice is to listen to the membership. Pepe is incredibly personable鈥 you just see how people gravitate to him. He’s going to bring that authenticity.鈥