Oracy

 

                                                                                                     

Why oracy matters?

Oracy (speaking and listening) is a necessary life skill that we all must use to be confident and effective communicators in our society. By teaching our pupils oracy, they feel empowered and value their voice, whilst making understanding of each other and the world around them.

Our oracy vision:

“Every child develops the confidence and skills to communicate clearly, listen respectfully, and use talk to deepen their learning. Pupils leave Janvrin with a strong voice, ready to flourish in secondary school, in their communities, and in the wider world.”

• Oracy development provides stronger foundations for Reading and Writing.
• Pupils with better oral language skills are more likely to achieve the highest grades in GCSE Maths and English.
• These pupils will remove barriers against their Social, Emotion and Mental Health (SEMH).
• Strong oracy skills enhance pupil’s employability chances.

 

Our Oracy Curriculum

Our curriculum intent statement:

At Janvrin we believe that every child deserves to develop a confident voice. Inspired by the work of Voice 21, we recognise oracy as a fundamental part of literacy and a vital tool for learning, wellbeing and future success. Therefore, we place talk at the heart of our curriculum so that all pupils, regardless of background, can articulate their ideas clearly, listen actively, and engage meaningfully with others.

Our oracy curriculum is explicit and intentionally planned from Nursery to Year 6. We use a range of Voice 21 strategies and vocabulary to model and include different types of talk for all pupils to refine these skills. It teaches them to learn to talk, learn to listen and learn through talk.

Our Oracy Progression Map (see attached at the bottom) outlines key groupings used in class, talk tactic moves and speaking sentence stems that the children are taught and encouraged to use, broken down into each phase. You can also see many of the exploratory and presentational opportunities for talk we provide.

Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) is also at the heart of our school, which a high-quality oracy curriculum supports. We want our pupils to talk about their feelings and emotions, whilst building self-regulation skills. This supports our older pupils becoming Mental Health Ambassadors or Peer Mediators, as well as our Zones of Regulation, used across the school.

 

Oracy Links to Home

• Oracy updates from Headteacher, Subject Lead or staff members.
• Flipped Parents Evening (Spring Term) where Year 1 to Year 6 pupils will lead their parent consultations.
• Parent Invites to key events throughout the year by class teachers (e.g. exhibitions and performances)
• Termly Reports inform parents of oracy strengths and next steps.
• Half termly ‘Oracy Awards’.
• ‘Oracy October’ whereby teachers and parents will collaborate to encourage oracy at home with key talking points.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                   

About Voice 21

Voice 21 is the UK’s oracy education charity. It works with schools to transform the learning and life chances of young people through talk so that all children can use their voice for success in school and in life. Since its launch in 2015 it has worked with over 1200 schools and 10,000 teachers across the UK, reaching more than 290,000 students through its work.

Find out more about oracy and Voice 21… 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shi1K1SepQI