The final report of the Oracy Education Commission is calling for speaking, listening and communication to be integrated into “every subject across the curriculum as well as in extra-curricular activities”.
Oracy must also be made a key part of the training and development of all teachers, it urges.
The commission began work earlier this year after being established by oracy education charity Voice 21 in partnership with Impetus.
Oracy is a stated priority for the new government and its on-going Curriculum and Assessment Review is to focus its attention in part on young people’s speaking and listening skills (DfE, 2024).
Commission chairman Geoff Barton, a former English teacher and former general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, is hopeful that their recommendations will influence the work of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, which is due to be published next year.
In his foreword to the report, Mr Barton set out the commission’s vision that oracy must become a central tenet of a child’s education – the fourth “R”.
He writes: “We want to move oracy more centrally into the experience of all young people in their journey through education. We want to see it become a key part of every teacher’s repertoire, whichever age groups they work with, or subjects they teach.
“We believe that alongside reading, writing and arithmetic, oracy is the fourth ‘R’: an essential, foundational building block to support our young people on their journey towards living fulfilling adult lives.”
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How to teach oracy skills in the secondary school classroom. This episode focuses on how we can teach oracy and speaking skills in the classroom and across the school, with lots of practical tips, ideas, resources and advice as well as examples from the work of two secondary schools: Listen back here.
The commission defines oracy as: “Articulating ideas, developing understanding and engaging with others through speaking, listening and communication.”
It concludes that oracy comprises three “inter-related, overlapping and mutually reinforcing components”. These are:
- Learning to talk, listen and communicate: The development of children’s speaking, listening and communication skills.
- Learning through talk, listening and communication: The use of talk or dialogue to foster and deepen children’s learning.
- Learning about talk, listening and communication: Building knowledge and understanding of speaking, listening and communication in its many contexts.
The report praises the use of dialogic, talk-based, teaching techniques, which involve extending student thinking and understanding through talk and the use of “exploratory talk” and other approaches.
It states: “We believe that oracy is as foundational in learning as reading, writing and arithmetic. It should be an entitlement in every child’s education to prepare them as future citizens.
“Speaking and listening skills are essential building blocks for reading and writing. Evidence indicates that success in literacy relies on the secure development of language and so a focus on students’ speaking and listening skills is essential to literacy development.”
The report urges the introduction of an “oracy entitlement” throughout the primary and secondary national curriculum, which it says should outline “the experiences, skills and knowledge all students should access and engage with to build their repertoire of oracy skills”.
The report also calls for the government’s curriculum review to ensure that the “history and richness” of the English language is a key focus of the English curriculum for all children. It wants to see a reformed English language GCSE and urges the government to investgiate the “feasibility of formal assessment of speaking and listening to recognise a young person’s proficiency in spoken language and communication”, adding that this might be part of a functional skills passport at 14 or a new GCSE English language qualification.
When it comes to initial teacher training, the commission wants to see trainee teachers being systematically taught how to use dialogue and discussion in their teaching.
Developing teachers’ understanding of speech, language and communication needs is also recommended in light of the fact that SLCN are now the most common need for students on SEN support.
Commenting on the publication of the final report Mr Barton said: “Our education system should equip young people to ask questions, articulate ideas and formulate powerful arguments. However young people express themselves and communicate, we should be providing opportunities for them to deepen their sense of identity and belonging, listen actively and critically, and learn a fundamental principle of a liberal democracy – being able to disagree agreeably. Parents want it, the economy demands it, democracy needs it, teachers welcome it, and our children deserve it.”
Responding to the commission’s findings this week, Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that the status of oracy had slipped ever since it was dropped as part of the grade for GCSE English language 10 years ago.
He continued: “An increased emphasis on oracy education across the curriculum – balanced against the many other expectations on schools – is a good starting point for reform.
“GCSE English language does not currently work well for all students, and we have argued for the introduction of a proficiency qualification that better serves young people and employers. Oracy could be a part of such a qualification.”
- DfE: Government launches Curriculum and Assessment Review, 2024: www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-curriculum-and-assessment-review
- Oracy Education Commission: We need to talk: The report of the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, 2024: https://oracyeducationcommission.co.uk/