“Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Oracy
At Our Lady Immaculate, we believe that speaking and listening—oracy—is a powerful tool for learning. By helping pupils become confident and effective communicators, we empower them to better understand themselves, each other, and the world around them. Strong oracy skills support academic success and personal development, giving all pupils the chance to thrive both in school and beyond.
For this reason, we do not treat oracy as a separate subject – it is an essential part of how we teach and support all aspects of learning.
Our classrooms are rich in high-quality talk, using and developing oracy skills alongside mind-friendly strategies to help pupils thrive and build strong foundations for learning. Oracy underpins our entire curriculum, helping children develop language, thinking, and communication skills that extend beyond the classroom and support lifelong learning. Research shows that these skills can have a transformative impact on pupils’ futures and their overall educational attainment.
Why is Oracy so Important?
It is important that pupils develop the skills necessary for effective communication in a variety of contexts.
Evidence has shown:
• Oracy supports learning – including developing creativity and critical thinking in pupils.
• Oracy is vital for social mobility – supporting children’s ability to fulfill their potential in later life.
• Oracy is good for social and emotional learning – helping children who may struggle to work with or play well with others.
• Oracy opens doors to opportunity – extracurricular activities such as debating activities.
• Oracy is empowering – giving children the skills to develop a ‘voice’ and speak out about things that matter to them.
Our Approach
- Oracy is embedded across the curriculum, supporting pupils to become thoughtful, articulate, and respectful communicators.
- Structured opportunities for discussion, storytelling and performance; support pupils to articulate their ideas clearly and confidently.
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Lessons are designed to give children meaningful opportunities to talk, using ambitious vocabulary and well-structured sentences.
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Pupils are taught to speak and perform for different purposes and audiences.
- A whole school approach to oracy supports our EAL Learners.
Oracy in Action
At our school, oracy is everywhere!
Pupils might:
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Take part in class debates or group discussions
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Present ideas and projects to their peers
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Perform in assemblies, plays, or storytelling sessions
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Listen carefully and respond thoughtfully to others
By embedding oracy across learning, we prepare our pupils to succeed in school, build strong relationships, and develop the communication skills they will need for life.
Early Language and Literacy Foundations
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, implementation focuses on developing children’s communication, language and early literacy skills. High-quality adult–child interactions, storytelling, songs, rhymes and structured talk underpin learning, ensuring children acquire a rich vocabulary and a secure understanding of language.
Communication and language are essential within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) as they provide the foundation for all learning and development. Through language, children are able to express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas, supporting their cognitive growth and social interaction. Strong communication skills enable children to build positive relationships, develop confidence, and access every area of the curriculum, including early literacy and mathematics. We provide a language‑rich environment supported by high‑quality adult‑child interactions to expand children’s vocabulary and deepen their understanding. Early identification of speech, language, and communication needs allows practitioners to offer timely support, ensuring that every child is able to communicate effectively and is given the best possible start to their learning journey.
EYFS Early Learning Goals
• Communication and Language: Listening and Attention- Children listen attentively in a range of situations. They listen to stories, accurately anticipating key events
and respond to what they hear with relevant comments, questions or actions. They give their attention to what others say and respond appropriately, while
engaged in another activity.
• Communication and Language: Understanding- Children follow instructions involving several ideas or actions. They answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions about their
experiences and in response to stories or events.
• Communication and Language: Speaking- Children express themselves effectively, showing awareness of listeners’ needs. They use past, present and future forms
accurately when talking about events that have happened or are to happen in the future. They develop their own narratives and explanations by connecting ideas
or events.
National Curriculum Objectives Spoken Language Year 1-6
• listen and respond appropriately to adults and their peers
• ask relevant questions to extend their understanding and knowledge
• use relevant strategies to build their vocabulary
• articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions
• give well-structured descriptions, explanations and narratives for different purposes, including for expressing feelings
• maintain attention and participate actively in collaborative conversations, staying on topic and initiating and responding to comments
• use spoken language to develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising, imagining and exploring ideas
• speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English
• participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play/improvisations and debates
• gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener(s)
• consider and evaluate different viewpoints, attending to and building on the contributions of others
• select and use appropriate registers for effective communication
The Oracy Framework
The systematic teaching of oracy across school and throughout the curriculum will support our pupils to make progress within the four strands of oracy as outlined in the Oracy Framework.
There are four strands that outline the skills which are essential for effective communication:
- Physical skills – Development begins with basic audibility and gesture in early years, progressing to deliberate control of tone, volume, and pace
- Linguistic skills – Students learn to adapt language for audience and purpose, including the use of specialist subject-specific vocabulary and sentence stems to build on or challenge ideas.
- Cognitive skills – It supports students to construct arguments, assess differing viewpoints, and manage discussions effectively.
- Social and emotional skills – pupils are taught to engage respectfully showing active listening and confidence.
The-Oracy-Framework-2021-1-1.pdf
The framework supports our pupils in developing their use of speech and their expression of thought to effectively communicate with others.
Below is a selection of sentence stems you could use with your child:
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Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS):
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“I can see that …”
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“I feel … because …”
- “What did you…?”
- “How did you…?”
- “I wonder…”
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Key Stage 1 (KS1):
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“I like this because …”
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“I think this is important because …”
- “I think that…because…”
- “I disagree because…”
- “Where did you…?”
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Key Stage 2 (KS2):
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“This reminds me of …”
- “I would like to add that…
- “In my opinion…”
- “In summary I think…”
- “I predict that…because…”