As the education community awaits the final recommendations from the ongoing curriculum and assessment review, let’s re-examine oracy’s place in the current National Curriculum and consider how this could be strengthened to better serve all learners.
Oracy is articulating ideas, developing understanding and engaging with others through speaking, listening and communication. It comprises learning to, through and about talk, listening and communication. Each of these dimensions of oracy education is shaped by the curriculum.
While the term “oracy” itself is not explicitly mentioned, spoken language is addressed in several key areas of the curriculum:
Let’s take a closer look at each of these areas and explore their strengths and weaknesses.
These aims, which apply across subjects in both the primary and secondary phases, state that pupils should be taught to:
“speak clearly and convey ideas confidently using Standard English […] select the appropriate register for effective communication […] give well-structured descriptions and explanations.”
The aims also emphasise the importance of talk for learning:
“justify ideas with reasons; ask questions to check understanding; develop vocabulary and build knowledge; negotiate; evaluate and build on the ideas of others; and develop understanding through speculating, hypothesising and exploring ideas.”
These statements offer a promising foundation, recognising the importance of oracy as a discrete skill set, as well as a vehicle for learning.
However, the emphasis on Standard English is problematic. Many students speak non-standard dialects, or other languages. If the curriculum frames only one way of speaking as “correct”, it risks undermining students’ confidence and discourages participation. Sociolinguistic research shows that students thrive when their full linguistic repertoires are acknowledged and valued. Inclusive oracy practice should support students to develop and use their full repertoire of speaking, listening and communication skills and engage in educationally productive talk.
The spoken language section of the primary English curriculum outlines 12 statutory requirements that span Years 1 to 6. These include expectations such as: selecting and using appropriate registers for effective communication (linguistic); articulating and justifying answers, arguments and opinions (cognitive); gaining, maintaining and monitoring the interest of listeners (social & emotional) and speaking audibly and fluently (physical).The inclusion of skills relating to of each of the four strands of the Oracy Framework within the statutory curriculum requirements is a welcome recognition of the importance of oracy and the broad-ranging aspects of this vital skillset.
However, the spoken language requirements are far less detailed than the equivalent sections for reading and writing and there is no clear progression pathway for oracy. Teachers are asked to “build on the oral language skills that have been taught in preceding years”—but what this progression looks like is left open to interpretation. Some statements—like “use relevant strategies to build vocabulary”—lack precision, offering little practical guidance. Further, the continued emphasis on ‘fluency’ within the statutory requirements may marginalise children with speech, language and communication needs, such as those who stammer, despite their ability to be confident and capable communicators. This emphasis privileges a narrow conception of oracy, rather than recognising and nurturing the full range of speaking, listening and communication skills that all children should have the opportunity to develop.
At secondary level, spoken language expectations are divided between Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. There are some positive indicators of progression, particularly in the contexts for talk students are expected to participate in. For example, in Key Stage 3 students are expected to give short speeches and presentations and participate in formal debates and structured discussions. In Key Stage 4, students should be taught to plan for different purposes and audiences, work productively in groups of different sizes and improvise, rehearse and perform play scripts and poetry. In Key Stage 4, there is a welcome shift towards using Standard English ‘when appropriate for the context’.
Although there are some positive aspects, the requirements are still narrow in scope and fail to clearly outline the specific skills that need to be taught within each of the identified contexts for talk. In some areas, the progression between key stages is inconsistent or underdeveloped. For example, the expectation that students “speak confidently and effectively” in KS3 becomes “speak confidently, audibly and effectively” in KS4. The addition of ‘audibly’—a focus already emphasised in the primary curriculum—appears out of place at this stage. Furthermore, the exploration of language variation, including when the use of Standard English is or isn’t appropriate, would be more impactful if introduced earlier. Even young children are capable of learning about spoken language and communication by reflecting on how their language use shifts across different contexts, developing an understanding of the distinctions between spoken and written language, and building awareness of how people communicate differently.
The inclusion of spoken language within the aims of both the maths and science curricula is an important acknowledgment of oracy’s foundational role in supporting children’s cognitive development and conceptual understanding in these subjects. It rightly acknowledges that how children learn is inseparable from what they learn, and that talk is central to developing knowledge and understanding across the curriculum.
However, despite this clear intent, the emphasis on oracy within the aims is not always reflected in classroom practice. In reality, teachers are guided by the detailed programmes of study rather than the broader aims, which receive limited attention in curriculum planning and implementation. As a result, the potential of oracy to deepen understanding and support disciplinary thinking in maths and science is frequently underused.
To ensure all students benefit from a rich oracy education, we recommend the following:
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