Oracy

What is Oracy?

Oracy is the ability to express oneself fluently and grammatically in speech. It encompasses effective speaking and listening skills.

Research, such as that by Voice 21 and the Oracy APPG, highlights its crucial role in boosting academic attainment, improving confidence and enhancing life and career prospects.

Oracy expert, Professor Neil Mercer, says that oracy education is: 

  • Learning to talk

  • Learning through talk 

  • Learning about talk

We believe that every child and adult can benefit from and thrive through engaging in oracy education. 

 
Intention 

At Northdown, we believe in elevating the voice of every child. We know the value of helping children to express themselves, listen well and engage in meaningful, respectful communication. 

Our intention for oracy is to ensure that all children have the skills, confidence, and desire to communicate meaningfully and respectfully, as outlined below: 

  • Capability to communicate: Every child has the vocabulary and skills to communicate. 

  • Opportunities to communicate: Every child feels they have the opportunity to share their thoughts, ideas, feelings and questions. 

  • Motivation to communicate: Every child is keen to communicate in a range of contexts for a range of purposes. They know their voice counts and will be heard, and they enjoy engaging in oracy. 

 
Implementation

To meet our aims with Oracy, we ensure Oracy sits centrally to every subject we teach and weaves through all areas of school life, from Nursery through to Year 6. 

To read more about oracy in our EYFS, see the EYFS tab on this website. 

 
Learning to talk 

Oracy lessons: As part of oracy education at Northdown, we provide termly focus areas for children to learn ‘to talk’. This includes short, engaging oracy lessons each week that help develop specific skills in oracy - such as how to use volume, pace and tone (examples of ‘physical oracy’) or how to construct a discussion (‘cognitive oracy’). 

Our oracy lessons are progressive across the school, meaning children revisit and build upon core skills as they move through the school. 

Modelling and scaffolding talk: Across the curriculum, our teachers provide excellent models of talk and provide scaffolds, such as stem sentences, to help children develop as capable communicators.

Vocabulary: During lessons, teachers model and use a range of ambitious vocabulary to help children know, understand and use new words in the right context and with confidence. Children are encouraged to repeat words aloud and explain what words mean. This helps expand their knowledge and communication skills, which helps them improve their communication. 

Speech and language support: Some of our pupils need specific and additional support with their speech and language. When children join our school, their speech and language is evaluated to help decide if any special support is needed. This is then provided through small group work or 1:1 time with our specialist Speech and Learning Lead. If this affects your child, you will be informed. 

 
Learning through talk 

Oracy strategies: Across all subjects, teachers at Northdown promote meaningful talk. Our pupils have regular opportunities to express their understanding and opinions through partner talk or group discussions. This allows them to think out loud, which further improves their learning and increases engagement in lessons. This also helps our teachers assess the children’s learning, helping teachers provide feedback and teach the right next steps. 

Talk for Writing: At Northdown, we use Talk for Writing to plan and deliver our English curriculum. Oracy sits at the heart of this engaging approach, which allows children to orally rehearse and express their ideas to support their confidence in writing. 

Oracy in Maths: We use Maths Mastery to deliver our Maths curriculum. This programme includes daily opportunities for a ‘talk task’, allowing children to discuss concepts with their peers. Each day, teachers introduce and define the mathematical vocabulary children should use within the lesson. Children are also encouraged to explain their thinking and work out. 

Oracy in Reading: Children engage in reading daily, and as part of thi,s they develop a wide range of oracy skills. This includes physical oracy through reading aloud using prosody as well as cognitive oracy through - for example - explaining, answering and predicting. 

RSHE: Children have a broad range of opportunities to learn ways to express their feelings, thoughts, ideas and needs through the Jigsaw curriculum. 

 
Learning ‘about talk’ 

As the final part of oracy education at Northdown, our children learn ‘about talk’. This includes learning about the importance of oracy and how it applies to their lives now and in the future. This learning happens through our weekly oracy classroom clinics,, as well as through assemblies and general classroom discussions. This helps them feel motivated to talk as they understand how important oracy is. 

 
Motivation and opportunities

As well as providing an oracy education, we aim to give pupils the chance to share their voice through: 

  • Smart School Council: designed to increase pupil participation through inclusive, structured, and frequent class meetings. Unlike traditional, small-group councils, this approach engages every student across the school in democratic decision-making and action planning. It fosters key skills in leadership, oracy, and confidence by focusing on pupil-led communication and tangible change. 

  • Presentational talk: Children in EYFS and KS1 engage in ‘show and tell’ as well as sharing their ‘plan for play’ as part of plan, do, review. In KS2, children have the chance to present their learning to the whole class, engage in debates and discussions termly and take part in a speaking competition every academic year. 

  • Assemblies to parents: Each year, classes have the chance to present a summary of their learning to an audience of peers and their parents. 

  • Book talk and Talk Through Stories: Children in EYFS and Key Stage 1 engage in Talk Through Stories lessons each day. In Key Stage 2, pupils regularly engage in rich book talk. 

 
Impact: 

As a result of our focus on oracy, our pupils develop the skills, confidence and motivation to communicate. They understand the purpose and value of oracy. They develop lifelong skills that will enable them to keep safe, connect with the wider world and expand their horizons.