Oracy

Oracy at ASJ: Helping Every Voice to Shine

At Ainsdale St John’s, we want every child to develop the confidence, knowledge and skills to express their ideas, listen carefully to others and take an active part in the world around them. As part of our work with Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust, we are therefore enhancing our approach to oracy across the school.

Oracy is much more than simply encouraging children to talk. It is the deliberate teaching of the skills needed to listen, speak, discuss, explain, question, reason and present ideas effectively. The Department for Education’s National Curriculum expects pupils to learn how to articulate and justify their ideas, ask relevant questions, participate in discussion and debate, consider different viewpoints and adapt their spoken language for different audiences and purposes.

There is also a strong evidence base for developing spoken language. The strongest approaches are not isolated speaking activities, but purposeful talk woven through the curriculum: developing vocabulary, asking and answering carefully structured questions, discussing texts and ideas, explaining thinking and learning through interaction with adults and peers.

Ofsted’s research into English similarly highlights that a strong command of spoken language is an important outcome of education. It emphasises that effective speaking and listening should be explicitly taught and carefully planned, rather than assuming that children will develop these skills simply by being given more opportunities to talk. Teachers play an important role in modelling effective speaking and listening, while pupils need opportunities to develop their vocabulary, organise their thinking, explain, speculate, reason, justify and respond thoughtfully to others.

At Ainsdale St John’s, this means developing a consistent approach from Reception to Year 6. Children will increasingly encounter purposeful opportunities to talk across the curriculum: explaining their mathematical reasoning, discussing characters and themes in reading, using subject-specific vocabulary, asking questions in science, debating ideas, presenting learning and listening respectfully to different perspectives.

We want children to understand not only what they are learning, but how thoughtful talk can help them develop and communicate their thinking.

Our approach also reflects our wider school vision. Learning to listen carefully, value another person’s contribution, disagree respectfully and have the confidence to share an idea supports our values of Courage, Community and Compassion. It helps children recognise that their ideas matter while also understanding that the voices of others matter too.

Ultimately, developing oracy is about giving every child a voice. Through our work alongside LDST, we want our pupils to become confident speakers, thoughtful listeners and respectful communicators who can participate fully in their learning, their communities and their future lives - enabling every child to Aspire to Shine.