Greenfield Primary School
Oracy at Greenfield Primary
At Greenfield Primary, we define oracy as the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language. We believe that in school, oracy is a powerful tool for learning. By teaching pupils to become more effective speakers and listeners, we empower them to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them.
Proficiency in oracy is essential for our pupils’ success, as it helps them develop vital communication skills necessary for their academic journey and future interactions. Pupils who struggle with oracy often face challenges across the curriculum, as effective verbal communication is crucial not only for expressing their thoughts but also for engaging with others in collaborative learning. Recognising this, we prioritise the development of oracy skills, ensuring that our teaching methods align with the Department for Education's agenda. As a school, we are fully committed to raising literacy standards for all our pupils, providing every child with the opportunity to become a confident and articulate communicator. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) state that, ‘Speech and language are one of the main barriers to pupils progressing in reading, writing, maths and the wider curriculum.’
Our whole school intent is to provide children with a rich, vocabulary based, broad curriculum where language and new experiences are at the heart of everything we do. We believe that with a high-quality oracy education, our pupils will learn both through talk and to talk. We want our pupils to develop and deepen their subject knowledge and understanding through talk in the classroom, which has been planned, designed, modelled, scaffolded and structured. This enables them to learn the skills needed to talk effectively.
We understand that a robust oracy curriculum is essential for our pupils' success and as such it is crucial that oracy is integrated into every aspect of school life and across all subjects. It cannot be treated as a standalone component.
Context and Integration
Our oracy curriculum design is deeply informed by current educational research and frameworks. We have incorporated insights from Ofsted’s framework and their subject-specific review series, which underscore the importance of oracy in a well-rounded education. In addition, their subject-specific reports highlight that oracy is essential for enhancing pupils' engagement with the curriculum, boosting academic performance, and fostering confidence across various subjects.
We have also used documentation and research from Voice21 when considering our approach to oracy across the school. We used the Oracy Framework from Voice 21 as a basis for staff knowledge and expertise, providing a breakdown of what oracy is and guiding further developments in our curriculum design.
In alignment with EEF recommendations, we recognise that explicit teaching of oracy can significantly narrow the attainment gap, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. EEF research indicates that strong oracy skills are linked to improved learning outcomes in all areas of the curriculum.
Voice21’s research further reinforces the importance of oracy. Voice21 advocates for a high-quality oracy education, noting that effective communication skills are crucial for success in today’s world. Our partnership with the Jerry Clay English Hub ensures that our teaching practices are up-to-date and evidence-based, supported by ongoing professional development.
Our Approach
Our commitment to oracy is reflected in our collaboration with the Jerry Clay English Hub, which enhances our teaching practices through expert guidance and continuous professional development.
To support our comprehensive approach, we employ the three lenses of oracy—Form, Content, and Use—as a framework for instruction.
- Form: A system for saying and understanding language
- Content: Something to say/ understand
- Use: Applying spoken language in context
Each lens serves a specific purpose, allowing us to break down the complexities of spoken language into manageable components. By focusing on the structure, substance, and application of language, we empower our pupils to navigate their communicative environments effectively. This model not only enriches their understanding of language but also enhances their overall oracy skills, ensuring they are well-equipped to express themselves and engage meaningfully with others.
A MODEL FOR LANGUAGE
Our oracy curriculum progression maps
These maps are meticulously designed to guide staff in understanding what we aim for our pupils to know, remember, and do in their spoken language development each half term throughout the year. Furthermore, these progression maps have been broken down according to the three key lenses of our oracy curriculum—Form, Content, and Use. This approach ensures that we comprehensively address all aspects of spoken language development, allowing for a well-rounded and targeted educational experience that supports our pupils in becoming effective and confident communicators.
Spoken Language Progression Map: EYFS - Y6
Oracy Within Other Subjects
While oracy is a cornerstone of our English curriculum, its importance extends across all subject areas at Greenfield Primary. We believe that effective communication skills are essential for success in every discipline, and we intentionally incorporate oracy development into our broader curriculum.
Structured Talk in Subject Learning
In all other subjects, we design lessons that incorporate structured talk activities. These activities encourage pupils to explain their reasoning, discuss ideas with peers, and engage in collaborative problem-solving. By verbalising their thoughts, pupils can deepen their understanding of subject-specific content and develop critical thinking skills.
Encouraging the Use of Subject-Specific Language
To further enhance oracy across the curriculum, we encourage pupils to use subject-specific language when speaking in lessons. For example, we prompt them to "speak like an artist" in art, or "speak like a geographer" in geography. This approach not only enriches their vocabulary but also helps them to think and communicate more deeply within each discipline.
To support this, we provide year group specific and progressive sentence stems and talk frames. These tools are carefully designed to scaffold pupils' use of technical vocabulary and structured responses. They also serve as valuable resources for subject leaders when planning lessons and creating resource slides, as well as for teachers during lesson delivery. This consistent emphasis on subject-specific oracy helps pupils to articulate their understanding more precisely and confidently across all areas of learning.
Greenfield Primary School
Oracy at Greenfield Primary
At Greenfield Primary, we define oracy as the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language. We believe that in school, oracy is a powerful tool for learning. By teaching pupils to become more effective speakers and listeners, we empower them to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them.
Proficiency in oracy is essential for our pupils’ success, as it helps them develop vital communication skills necessary for their academic journey and future interactions. Pupils who struggle with oracy often face challenges across the curriculum, as effective verbal communication is crucial not only for expressing their thoughts but also for engaging with others in collaborative learning. Recognising this, we prioritise the development of oracy skills, ensuring that our teaching methods align with the Department for Education's agenda. As a school, we are fully committed to raising literacy standards for all our pupils, providing every child with the opportunity to become a confident and articulate communicator. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) state that, ‘Speech and language are one of the main barriers to pupils progressing in reading, writing, maths and the wider curriculum.’
Our whole school intent is to provide children with a rich, vocabulary based, broad curriculum where language and new experiences are at the heart of everything we do. We believe that with a high-quality oracy education, our pupils will learn both through talk and to talk. We want our pupils to develop and deepen their subject knowledge and understanding through talk in the classroom, which has been planned, designed, modelled, scaffolded and structured. This enables them to learn the skills needed to talk effectively.
We understand that a robust oracy curriculum is essential for our pupils' success and as such it is crucial that oracy is integrated into every aspect of school life and across all subjects. It cannot be treated as a standalone component.
Context and Integration
Our oracy curriculum design is deeply informed by current educational research and frameworks. We have incorporated insights from Ofsted’s framework and their subject-specific review series, which underscore the importance of oracy in a well-rounded education. In addition, their subject-specific reports highlight that oracy is essential for enhancing pupils' engagement with the curriculum, boosting academic performance, and fostering confidence across various subjects.
We have also used documentation and research from Voice21 when considering our approach to oracy across the school. We used the Oracy Framework from Voice 21 as a basis for staff knowledge and expertise, providing a breakdown of what oracy is and guiding further developments in our curriculum design.
In alignment with EEF recommendations, we recognise that explicit teaching of oracy can significantly narrow the attainment gap, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. EEF research indicates that strong oracy skills are linked to improved learning outcomes in all areas of the curriculum.
Voice21’s research further reinforces the importance of oracy. Voice21 advocates for a high-quality oracy education, noting that effective communication skills are crucial for success in today’s world. Our partnership with the Jerry Clay English Hub ensures that our teaching practices are up-to-date and evidence-based, supported by ongoing professional development.
Our Approach
Our commitment to oracy is reflected in our collaboration with the Jerry Clay English Hub, which enhances our teaching practices through expert guidance and continuous professional development.
To support our comprehensive approach, we employ the three lenses of oracy—Form, Content, and Use—as a framework for instruction.
- Form: A system for saying and understanding language
- Content: Something to say/ understand
- Use: Applying spoken language in context
Each lens serves a specific purpose, allowing us to break down the complexities of spoken language into manageable components. By focusing on the structure, substance, and application of language, we empower our pupils to navigate their communicative environments effectively. This model not only enriches their understanding of language but also enhances their overall oracy skills, ensuring they are well-equipped to express themselves and engage meaningfully with others.
A MODEL FOR LANGUAGE
Our oracy curriculum progression maps
These maps are meticulously designed to guide staff in understanding what we aim for our pupils to know, remember, and do in their spoken language development each half term throughout the year. Furthermore, these progression maps have been broken down according to the three key lenses of our oracy curriculum—Form, Content, and Use. This approach ensures that we comprehensively address all aspects of spoken language development, allowing for a well-rounded and targeted educational experience that supports our pupils in becoming effective and confident communicators.
Spoken Language Progression Map: EYFS - Y6
Oracy Within Other Subjects
While oracy is a cornerstone of our English curriculum, its importance extends across all subject areas at Greenfield Primary. We believe that effective communication skills are essential for success in every discipline, and we intentionally incorporate oracy development into our broader curriculum.
Structured Talk in Subject Learning
In all other subjects, we design lessons that incorporate structured talk activities. These activities encourage pupils to explain their reasoning, discuss ideas with peers, and engage in collaborative problem-solving. By verbalising their thoughts, pupils can deepen their understanding of subject-specific content and develop critical thinking skills.
Encouraging the Use of Subject-Specific Language
To further enhance oracy across the curriculum, we encourage pupils to use subject-specific language when speaking in lessons. For example, we prompt them to "speak like an artist" in art, or "speak like a geographer" in geography. This approach not only enriches their vocabulary but also helps them to think and communicate more deeply within each discipline.
To support this, we provide year group specific and progressive sentence stems and talk frames. These tools are carefully designed to scaffold pupils' use of technical vocabulary and structured responses. They also serve as valuable resources for subject leaders when planning lessons and creating resource slides, as well as for teachers during lesson delivery. This consistent emphasis on subject-specific oracy helps pupils to articulate their understanding more precisely and confidently across all areas of learning.
Greenfield Primary School
Oracy at Greenfield Primary
At Greenfield Primary, we define oracy as the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language. We believe that in school, oracy is a powerful tool for learning. By teaching pupils to become more effective speakers and listeners, we empower them to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them.
Proficiency in oracy is essential for our pupils’ success, as it helps them develop vital communication skills necessary for their academic journey and future interactions. Pupils who struggle with oracy often face challenges across the curriculum, as effective verbal communication is crucial not only for expressing their thoughts but also for engaging with others in collaborative learning. Recognising this, we prioritise the development of oracy skills, ensuring that our teaching methods align with the Department for Education's agenda. As a school, we are fully committed to raising literacy standards for all our pupils, providing every child with the opportunity to become a confident and articulate communicator. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) state that, ‘Speech and language are one of the main barriers to pupils progressing in reading, writing, maths and the wider curriculum.’
Our whole school intent is to provide children with a rich, vocabulary based, broad curriculum where language and new experiences are at the heart of everything we do. We believe that with a high-quality oracy education, our pupils will learn both through talk and to talk. We want our pupils to develop and deepen their subject knowledge and understanding through talk in the classroom, which has been planned, designed, modelled, scaffolded and structured. This enables them to learn the skills needed to talk effectively.
We understand that a robust oracy curriculum is essential for our pupils' success and as such it is crucial that oracy is integrated into every aspect of school life and across all subjects. It cannot be treated as a standalone component.
Context and Integration
Our oracy curriculum design is deeply informed by current educational research and frameworks. We have incorporated insights from Ofsted’s framework and their subject-specific review series, which underscore the importance of oracy in a well-rounded education. In addition, their subject-specific reports highlight that oracy is essential for enhancing pupils' engagement with the curriculum, boosting academic performance, and fostering confidence across various subjects.
We have also used documentation and research from Voice21 when considering our approach to oracy across the school. We used the Oracy Framework from Voice 21 as a basis for staff knowledge and expertise, providing a breakdown of what oracy is and guiding further developments in our curriculum design.
In alignment with EEF recommendations, we recognise that explicit teaching of oracy can significantly narrow the attainment gap, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. EEF research indicates that strong oracy skills are linked to improved learning outcomes in all areas of the curriculum.
Voice21’s research further reinforces the importance of oracy. Voice21 advocates for a high-quality oracy education, noting that effective communication skills are crucial for success in today’s world. Our partnership with the Jerry Clay English Hub ensures that our teaching practices are up-to-date and evidence-based, supported by ongoing professional development.
Our Approach
Our commitment to oracy is reflected in our collaboration with the Jerry Clay English Hub, which enhances our teaching practices through expert guidance and continuous professional development.
To support our comprehensive approach, we employ the three lenses of oracy—Form, Content, and Use—as a framework for instruction.
- Form: A system for saying and understanding language
- Content: Something to say/ understand
- Use: Applying spoken language in context
Each lens serves a specific purpose, allowing us to break down the complexities of spoken language into manageable components. By focusing on the structure, substance, and application of language, we empower our pupils to navigate their communicative environments effectively. This model not only enriches their understanding of language but also enhances their overall oracy skills, ensuring they are well-equipped to express themselves and engage meaningfully with others.
A MODEL FOR LANGUAGE
Our oracy curriculum progression maps
These maps are meticulously designed to guide staff in understanding what we aim for our pupils to know, remember, and do in their spoken language development each half term throughout the year. Furthermore, these progression maps have been broken down according to the three key lenses of our oracy curriculum—Form, Content, and Use. This approach ensures that we comprehensively address all aspects of spoken language development, allowing for a well-rounded and targeted educational experience that supports our pupils in becoming effective and confident communicators.
Spoken Language Progression Map: EYFS - Y6
Oracy Within Other Subjects
While oracy is a cornerstone of our English curriculum, its importance extends across all subject areas at Greenfield Primary. We believe that effective communication skills are essential for success in every discipline, and we intentionally incorporate oracy development into our broader curriculum.
Structured Talk in Subject Learning
In all other subjects, we design lessons that incorporate structured talk activities. These activities encourage pupils to explain their reasoning, discuss ideas with peers, and engage in collaborative problem-solving. By verbalising their thoughts, pupils can deepen their understanding of subject-specific content and develop critical thinking skills.
Encouraging the Use of Subject-Specific Language
To further enhance oracy across the curriculum, we encourage pupils to use subject-specific language when speaking in lessons. For example, we prompt them to "speak like an artist" in art, or "speak like a geographer" in geography. This approach not only enriches their vocabulary but also helps them to think and communicate more deeply within each discipline.
To support this, we provide year group specific and progressive sentence stems and talk frames. These tools are carefully designed to scaffold pupils' use of technical vocabulary and structured responses. They also serve as valuable resources for subject leaders when planning lessons and creating resource slides, as well as for teachers during lesson delivery. This consistent emphasis on subject-specific oracy helps pupils to articulate their understanding more precisely and confidently across all areas of learning.