The VCN has been providing Voice workshops for educational organisations for the past 15 years.
The stimulus for founding the VCN in 1993 by Roz Comins and a small group of like minded voice practitioners, was the high percentage of teachers who were receiving clinical treatment for voice disorders even in the 1980s.
The VCN now provides a wide range of practical workshops to all groups within the school workforce (teachers, support staff, leaders, headteachers). These workshops range from an ‘Introduction to vocal health’ of just 1.5 hours, the most popular 2.5hours (morning or afternoon) to a full day, both of which expand from vocal health into developing and practising specific vocal skills suitable for CPD.
These CPD workshops are provided throughout teaching staff’s careers:
- As part of Initial Teacher Training (ITT), either in Universities or on GTP or SCITT Programmes
- As part of NQT induction and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) throughout teacher’s careers
- As part of Leadership training programmes organised through the Local Authority (LA) or the NCSL (Middle Leaders, CPD Leaders in Schools or part of the most senior programmes for Aspiring Leaders and Tomorrows Leaders Today)
- As part of the Training and CPD for Support Staff
The VCN was chosen in 2008 by the Training and Development Agency for Teachers (TDA) to provide Voice Workshops under a TDA CPD initiative, which identified significant gaps in CPD training available to Schools and Local Authorities. There has been a tremendous response from Local Authorities, with workshops delivered so far to over 60 of the 150 in England.
The VCN is the core voice training provider to the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) and provides workshops to the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT). The VCN has had a long relationship with the Professional Association of Teachers (PAT – now renamed Voice – the Union).
The VCN publication ‘More Care for your Voice’ is endorsed by the Health and Safety Commision (SEAC) and is listed in our publications section.
The VCN workshop content has been approved by Edge Hill University as a platform to gain 20 module credits at Masters Level as part of a Professional Development degree in Education. Those wishing to access this opportunity will need to have a first degree and then provide a portfolio of evidence in 
conjunction with Edge Hill University.
The VCN pioneered “The Year of the Teachers’ Voice” (YOTV) in 2007.