Oracy is the ability to express oneself fluently and grammatically in speech.  Oracy can be defined as the range of speaking and listening skills, behaviours and language necessary for communication and collaboration. 

INTENT 

At Breadsall Hill Top Primary School, the development of Oracy within our curriculum is a key driver of change to improve outcomes for our children.

Our aim in spoken language is to provide a sound foundation for the development of oracy skills from debate to poetry and verbal feedback to talk for presentational purposes.

At the heart of good Oracy is a dialogic classroom.  Our classrooms are rich in talk, from effective questioning to constructive peer discussions and teachers use talk skilfully to develop and encourage critical thinking.  There is a clear understanding in school of how talk aids teaching, analysis and higher order metacognition.  Oracy is viewed as a driver of change and we believe that it is imperative for English to function as a tripartite structure of Oracy, Reading and Writing – ‘Writing floats on a sea of words.’

The ability to speak eloquently, articulate ideas and thoughts, collaborate with peers and have the confidence to express your views are all vital life skills that support success in learning and life in general.

Inclusion is at the heart of our Oracy intention and all children are given the support and opportunities they need to thrive in this subject.  By embedding Oracy in all aspects of BHTP’s culture and weaving it through the curriculum with our verbal feedback policy, children are able to respond to high expectations and explicit teaching and modelling of speaking and listening.  Classrooms are distinguishable by the sound of purposeful talk, from confident speeches in KS2 to children learning how to take turns in EYFS.

While research has found that strong Oracy skills leads to higher order thinking and deeper understanding, on average a child in a deprived area has limited opportunities to take part in vocabulary rich discussions.  At BHTP, we recognise how vital spoken language skills are for children and we want to equip them with the tools that they need to be heard, not just in school, but in their future life and career.

Our Oracy curriculum will enable children to:

• speak with confidence, clarity and eloquence,
• recognise the importance of listening in conjunction with speaking,
• be confident in the value of their own opinions and be able to express and justify them to others,
• adapt their use of language for a range of different purposes and audiences,
• sustain a logical argument, question, reason and respond to others appropriately,
• concentrate, interpret and respond appropriately to a wide range of immersive experiences,
• be open-minded, to respect the contribution of others and take into account their views,
• celebrate the diversity of languages, dialects and accents in the school and appreciate the experience and value the contributions of children with a wide variety of linguistic abilities,
• share their learning in an engaging, informative way through presentations, recitals, drama, poetry and debate.