(3 minute read)
Oracy is one of the key skills that the current Curriculum and Assessment Review will look to embed in the primary and secondary curriculum, so that young people leave school “ready for life and ready for work”. In October the Oracy Commission published a report, We need to Talk, calling for increased emphasis on oracy in education; the report says it should become the fourth ‘R’, having equal status with reading, writing and arithmetic.
What is Oracy?
Oracy is about talk. It is about storytelling. It is about reasoning, discussing and being able to present a point of view in a way that gives everyone a voice. Expressing ideas, developing understanding and engaging with others through communication is at the heart of oracy. It has often been referred to as speaking and listening, in the English curriculum. Where this kind of talk happens in the classroom in a structured way, children are “learning to talk, listen and communicate; learning through talk, listening and communication and learning about talk, listening and communication.” These three interrelated strands form a shared definition and common understanding that the Oracy Commission would like adopted.
The Oracy Commission Report
Geoff Barton, the Chair of the Commission, says that in an increasingly fractured world, that includes social, cultural and technological change, “we need our young people to be equipped to ask questions, to articulate ideas, to formulate powerful arguments, to deepen their sense of identity and belonging, to listen actively and critically, and to be well-steeped in a fundamental principle of a liberal democracy—that is, being able to disagree agreeably.”
The Commission calls for oracy to be given much more prominence in the National Curriculum, firmly established as one of the ‘four Rs’. It should:
- be established as an essential programme of study across subjects
- give flexibility to schools in deciding how to teach it, within or beyond subjects
- include investment in early language education to support families and offer timely interventions and specialist provision in the early years
- include a revised English Language GCSE to engage students in the study of spoken language
- resource and incentivise schools to give students access to a broad curriculum, including expressive arts, as a matter of social justice
- remove barriers by increasing access to extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities for all
How Educater Can Support Tracking Oracy in Schools?
Educater Envision offers the opportunity for schools to track any curriculum they want, how they want and when they want. Oracy might be included in any subject curriculum as an additional objective to be tracked. It might also be included as a small descriptor that forms part of a broader objective. The oracy strands might be added to any, or all, curriculums as an additional attribute, as a way of tracking students across the school by their levels of oracy skills. Schools might also choose to track oracy separately, as a curriculum on its own with detailed objectives in each strand. However it is tracked, there is also the option to enter narrative and/or photographic evidence of attainment and progress.
Conclusion
The Oracy Commission has recognised oracy as an important skill that all young people need in a changing world, to make them successful in life and in work. The Curriculum and Assessment review will look to make this a priority in the review. As a key skill, schools will want to track student progress in oracy. And if schools have the freedom to embed oracy in different ways across the school curriculum, as well as more widely within the school culture, then they will need a flexible tracking solution, like Envision, to decide how to track and evidence it.
Book your free demo here: Educater Envision
