Oracy
In September 2025, we joined the Voice 21 programme to develop Oracy skills in our school.
Why does Oracy matter? Oracy improves children’s outcomes in all areas of learning. It also fosters wellbeing and confidence, enabling all children to have a voice and to be heard. Oracy equips children with the skills they need in their lives beyond school and to be active members of the community.
Our school vision:
We aspire for our children to communicate with confidence, using a broad and vibrant vocabulary that enables them to share their views proudly, knowing their contributions are valued and respected.
What is Oracy?
Oracy is a combination of learning to talk and learning through talk. This means that children will be taught specific speaking and listening skills
and that talk will be used as a central part of their learning across the curriculum. Learning through talk will be visible in all subjects in school
from PSHE to Maths and PE to Writing.
Who does Oracy help and who is it for?
Oracy is for every child and helps everyone.
Oracy is the ability to express ideas clearly, listen carefully to others, and take part in meaningful conversations. These are essential life skills that support learning, confidence, and wellbeing, both in school and beyond.
Oracy is not just for confident speakers. It is especially important for:
Children who are quieter or less confident, as it gives them structured opportunities to find their voice
Children learning English as an additional language, as it supports language development and understanding
Children with additional needs, who benefit from clear routines, vocabulary support, and guided interaction
Children who are already confident speakers, as it helps them learn to listen, reason, and communicate thoughtfully
By developing oracy, we help all children to think more deeply, explain their learning, collaborate with others, and feel confident sharing their ideas. These skills support progress across the curriculum and prepare children for future education, work, and life.
Our aim is to ensure that every child feels heard, valued, and able to communicate effectively.
What does Oracy look like in the classroom?
The Oracy framework helps define the skills that are needed to communicate effectively. They are broken down into physical, linguistic, cognitive and social and emotional skills.
Celebrating Our Oracy Success so far- 2025-2026
Throughout the 2025–2026 academic year, we have celebrated some fantastic achievements in Oracy. We introduced talk protocols and discussion guidelines across all classes, planned and delivered engaging Oracy assemblies, and took part in Oracy Earth Day alongside schools from across the city.
It has been wonderful to see a real buzz around Oracy throughout our school community. Our pupils are becoming increasingly confident in using language to express their ideas, share their thoughts, listen to others and engage in meaningful discussions, both in the classroom and across the wider school environment.
We are incredibly proud of the progress we have made so far and look forward to continuing to develop our pupils’ confidence, communication skills and love of language.
Our Oracy Programme for 2026–2027
During the 2026–2027 academic year, we will continue to develop and tailor our Oracy programme to meet the specific needs of our school community. As part of this commitment, we have enrolled in the Elevating Oracy Classroom Practice programme. This will provide our staff with opportunities to explore how classroom practice can be adapted to suit different ages, contexts and subject areas, while supporting pupils to develop the language, confidence and communication skills needed to speak and think like subject specialists.
This academic year, we will also place a strong emphasis on parental engagement. We look forward to welcoming parents and carers to our Oracy assemblies, as well as inviting them to participate in Oracy-focused class workshops during the summer term. Through these opportunities, we hope to strengthen the partnership between home and school and celebrate the important role Oracy plays in our pupils’ learning, confidence and development.
Please watch this space for further updates.