Oracy
Intent
We believe that oracy is a key building block to empowering students to achieve their full potential. Through direct oracy teaching and providing ample opportunities to talk about their learning, we aim to ensure that children are able to articulate themselves coherently and improve their understanding of the world around them. We aim to weave these skills through a talk-rich, engaging curriculum using talk as a tool for learning, ensuring that all voices are respected and valued.
Through oracy we aim to build the active listening skills and critical thinking skills that will serve the children through all stages of their education. Collaborating with the organisation, Voice 21, we are able to provide wide-spread opportunities to engage children in developing their communication skills to ensure a high level of progress throughout their time in Key Stage 2.
Some of the key benefits of an oracy approach are:
- Oracy increases confidence, empowering students with the belief that their voice has value, developing the ability to articulate thoughts so others will listen.
- Oracy improves academic outcomes, developing learners who can think critically, reason together and have the vocabulary to express their knowledge and understanding.
- Oracy fosters wellbeing, supporting students to build successful relationships, talk through issues, express feelings and resolve conflicts.
- Oracy equips students to thrive in life beyond school, helping them to progress, access employment and engage in civic life.
Implementation
Each year group has carefully planned teaching opportunities and activities linked to develop student’s skills progress through Voice 21’s Oracy Framework. (https://voice21.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/The-Oracy-Framework-2021-1-1.pdf )
All staff are trained to support children’s development of learning through talk and learning to talk. Exploratory talk as a means to secure deep learning of academic concepts is pervasive throughout the all parts of the curriculum. This means that children have frequent low-stakes opportunities to develop their communication skills with their peers.
The skills are built on through four strands of development:
- Physical aspects – how we use our voice and body to communicate.
- Linguistic aspects – how we structure what we say and choose appropriate vocabulary.
- Cognitive aspects – staying focused whilst speaking and when listening to others, asking appropriate questions and explaining opinions using reasons.
- Social & emotional aspects – working with others, listening and responding and increasing confidence.
In addition to this, regular opportunities are sought through our highly successful pupil parliament, class assemblies, visitors and wider opportunities where children will be able to vary their audiences that they might talk or present to.
Impact
The current curriculum has shown a significant increase in the quality of discussion between peers, both in formal and informal settings such as the playground. Survey results and monitoring activities have shown high levels of oracy understanding for our pupils in how to discuss and how to listen effectively.
Enrichment
Among the many opportunities that are available, children will be able to present in their class assembly each year. They will also have a chance to lead other assemblies alongside their pupil parliament champions. Children will also be able to interact with the numerous visitors that are invited to school, such as authors, representatives from charities etc. In all, this gives the children the chance to talk in a wide variety of situations.