It’s hard to disentangle Voice 21’s Oracy October celebrations from the global pandemic.  Talk of reintegration, new classroom set ups and adapting to ‘the new normal’ were all part of the many reflections we heard from teachers and school leaders throughout the event.  

Despite all the uncertainty, the commitment and inherent creativity of teachers and leaders across the UK shined brightly throughout the Teacher Masterclasses held over the two weeks. What’s more, it was great to hear from teachers about the enthusiasm for oracy amongst students, many of whom returned to the classroom ready and eager to use their voices. 

During the first week of Teacher Masterclasses we heard from Bev Knuckey, Llanderyn Primary School, who shared examples of opportunities they have provided for their students to practice and develop their oracy skills. 

Take a look below at the highlights from their Masterclass presentations.

Llanederyn Primary School: why parental engagement has been at the heart of their oracy strategy. 

“We had noticed a decrease in our children’s ability to form words and sing nursery rhymes. Whilst we knew in Welsh language teaching we drilled language patterns and vocabulary, in English we assumed that the children would just know it. That’s what prompted us to work with Voice 21.” Bev Knuckey, Deputy Headteacher

New College Leicester: Developing a culture of oracy across our secondary school 

We also heard from Paul Butler, New College Leicester, about his experience of developing a culture of oracy across his school and how staff have taken and adapted approaches to support teaching and learning in their specific subject areas. 

“One of the reasons we prioritised oracy was to ensure that all our students developed the language skills they needed to access the curriculum. We wanted to make sure that we were giving every student a voice..improve their literacy levels…and build their confidence.”