Oracy

Some solutions
The senior teams at both Eastwood and Green Lane primary schools say they have taken steps to
formalise their schools’ commitment to oracy. Both encourage pupils to contribute to assemblies on
a weekly basis, but in addition they:
• Specifically reference pupils’ spoken language and
communication in their school development plans
• Encourage pupils to participate in debating clubs
• Feedback to parents on the quality of pupils’
contributions in lessons during reporting cycles
• Feedback to teachers after lesson observations and
learning walks on the quality of verbal interactions
that have been observed
These systems reinforce and build on what happens in individual classrooms, ensuring the
quality of pupils’ spoken language remains a priority for all staff.
A number of schools say they nominate oracy ‘champions’ to help push the issue up the
agenda.
School leaders really buy into the importance of oracy if it links fundamentally to their ability
to extend their school’s capacity and provision. This may happen through school inspection
feedback, but can also (and perhaps more straightforwardly) be achieved by conducting an
audit of teachers’, parents’ and pupils’ opinions.
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