Speaking and listening may not be formally assessed in primary schools, but they’re vital skills for every child. Here’s why – and how to encourage oracy.

We’re all keen for our children to build their literacy skills at school, and become confident readers and fluent writers. But developing a mastery of English isn’t just about reading and writing: it’s also about becoming a good speaker. Oracy is the ability to express yourself clearly and communicate with others effectively through spoken language.

‘It’s about having the vocabulary to say what you want to say, and the ability to structure your thoughts so that they make sense to others.'

A key part of oracy is for children to think carefully about the language they’re using, and tailor it to their subject, purpose and audience. For example, a Year 6 pupil should understand that they need to use simpler words and sentence structures when explaining the rules of a game to a Reception child than they would if they were with their peers.

• Discussion: exchanging ideas with others
• Instruction: telling someone what to do, or explaining facts
• Dialogue: having a conversation with someone, listening and showing an interest in what they say

Oracy isn’t, however, just about being a good talker – or talking lots. It also includes listening to others, and responding appropriately.

Why oracy matters

So much in life depends on being a good communicator, so it’s vital that children learn the importance of oracy from a young age.

‘Good communication and language skills support children’s ability to learn, think about and understand the world, and interact with others.'

Indeed, children who start school with limited communication skills are six times less likely than their peers to reach the expected standards in English at the end of Year 6.

Good oracy also leads to improved performance in other curriculum areas, including maths and science.

Developing early oracy skills isn’t just important for children’s education, though. Children who communicate well are more likely to form good relationships with other children and adults, and may be less prone to behaviour sanctions as they can express their frustrations verbally rather than lashing out or losing their temper.

Children who are good communicators are less likely to have mental health problems as adults, possibly because they’re more able to express their feelings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5iA_asc1Xk

Oracy and speaking and listening skills in the National Curriculum

• Use discussion in order to learn;
• Be able to elaborate and explain their understanding and ideas;
• Be competent in the arts of speaking and listening, making formal presentations, demonstrating to others and participating in debate.

It sets specific speaking and listening objectives within the English programme of study for each year, and oracy is also developed through other curriculum areas, such as drama.

Oracy in the classroom

The deliberate, explicit and systematic teaching of oracy across phases and throughout the curriculum will support children and young people to make progress in the four strands of oracy outlined in the Oracy Framework below.

Here is a child-friendly version of the framework:

In class, we focus on one oracy objective/ skill each week (that relates to one of these four strands) and plan activities which allow these skills to be practised and developed.

Here are some examples of activities that are used to develop oracy in our school:

• Setting ground rules for speaking and listening in class, such as putting your hand up before speaking, waiting to be chosen, and not interrupting each other.
• Presentations on a specified subject, or a subject of their own choosing. These could be individual presentations or in pairs or small groups, in front of their class or the whole school in assembly. At the lower end of the school, this is often ‘show and tell,’ while older pupils might make a topic-based presentation.
• Discussions as a pair, small group or whole class, for example about religious beliefs, story plots, or predicting the outcomes of experiments.
• Hot seating: a drama technique where one child sits in the ‘hot seat,’ and the other children ask them questions to answer in character.
• Exploring a text through performance – not just re-enacting what actually happens in the book, but also acting out what characters might do or say in a particular situation.
• Structured debates, with one group of pupils for and another against a certain topic or question, such as, ‘Is it right to bully a bully?’
• Putting on class assemblies attended by the rest of the school and often parents.
• School council meetings, where council members collect questions and concerns from other pupils and present them to their fellow councillors and teachers.
• Group work, where communication and listening to each other are essential.
• Older children being play leaders for younger children at breaktimes, explaining the rules of a game and making sure everyone plays correctly and fairly.
• Circle time: a class discussion, often weekly, where everyone sits in a circle and talks over issues affecting the class, such as too much talking during lessons, or bad behaviour in the playground. This encourages oracy skills like expressing opinions, turn-taking and respecting others’ views.

7 ways to promote oracy at home

1. Read aloud to your child

2. Record a video diary

3. Play word games

4. Talk about their day

5. Phone a friend (or relative)

6. Go on a nature walk

7. Sign them up for a club