Oracy

Which pupils benefit from oracy?
Given the numerous benefits of oracy explored above, it is heartening that most
teachers believe oracy benefits most pupils, with a large minority saying all pupils
benefit. xxv Primary school teachers are significantly more likely to believe all pupils
benefit from oracy than teachers in secondary or FE settings.
What proportion of pupils benefit from oracy being taught in school? 906
All
27%
Most
An even split
A few
11%
48%
Don’t know
8%
None
1%
5%
As was highlighted in Section 2, this may be because teachers in this phase see ‘communication’ as
something pupils need in order to engage with their immediate environment, and that this is more of a
focus for them than the more formal interaction teachers of older pupils emphasise. English teachers
(for example) are significantly more likely than maths or science teachers to believe all pupils benefit
from oracy, so the differences in phases may also be due to teachers specialising
in subjects at secondary- and FE-level.
There is some geographical variation in
teachers’ perceptions of oracy’s importance
with teachers in London (58%) significantly
more likely to believe all pupils benefit from
oracy than teachers in the North West (39%),
East Midlands (41%), East of England (42%),
or South West (42%).
Survey respondents particularly highlight
the benefits of oracy for socio-economically
disadvantaged pupils, those with English as
an additional language and those with
low prior attainment.
Proportion of teachers, by region, who
believe all pupils benefit from oracy.
906
39%
41%
North West
East Midlands
58%
42%
East of England
London
42%
South West
40
xxv
Practitioners were asked what proportion of and which pupils in particular benefit from oracy, with oracy defined as ‘the development
of children’s capacity to use speech to express their thoughts and communicate with others in education and in life, and talk through
which teaching and learning is mediated’ (based on Alexander, 2012: 10).