Voice 21 welcomes the government’s recognition of oracy as a foundational skill alongside reading, writing and maths. The Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final report acknowledges oracy’s role in creating a “world leading curriculum”; citing the extensive evidence base and recommending a new national oracy framework to complement the existing reading and writing frameworks. 

“The government’s promise to give oracy equal status to reading and writing is a vital step forward, ensuring that every child develops the speaking, listening and communication skills they need for learning, confidence and life beyond the classroom.

National guidance for primary and secondary teachers will ensure that there are consistent high standards in the teaching of oracy, just as there are for reading and writing. 

The Government needs to act swiftly to implement these recommendations and we look forward to working with the Department for Education to ensure that every child benefits from a high-quality oracy education.

In a rapidly changing and polarised world, with advancing digitisation and AI, a focus on oracy is essential to ensure that the next generation are equipped to thrive in school, work and life”

– Dr Kate Paradine, CEO, Voice 21 

Here are five things you need to know about oracy in the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s final Report.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review has adopted an expansive and inclusive definition of oracy.

Since its inception, there have been competing understandings of the word ‘oracy’. Some focus exclusively on public speaking; some on ‘speaking properly’; and some on oral language only. At Voice 21, we believe strongly in an expansive and inclusive definition of oracy, and so we’re pleased to see the Review’s definition following the Oracy Education Commission in incorporating ‘speaking, listening and communication’, and explicitly including “verbal as well as other forms of non-written communication, such as sign language, non-verbal and Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC)”.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review recommends guidance for schools: “We recommend that the Government introduces an oracy framework to support practice and to complement the existing frameworks for Reading and Writing”.

At Voice 21, we know from our work with schools across the British Isles that when teachers and school leaders are able to access high-quality guidance and support to develop their oracy provision, the impact on students is profound. This recommendation is an important milestone in our mission to secure a systemic shift in access to high-quality oracy education – so that every child is equipped to thrive in school, work and life. It also reflects a key recommendation of the Oracy Education Commission: “Publishing non-statutory guidance to support school leaders and teachers in making informed decisions about how to implement high-quality oracy education.”

We look forward to working with the Department for Education (DfE) to ensure that the expertise developed by, and with, over 1200 Voice 21 Oracy Schools, and 90 Oracy Centres of Excellence informs the guidance that schools nationwide will follow. 

The Curriculum and Assessment Review highlights the strong evidence base for oracy.

The Review acknowledges that oracy’s impact extends across school life, supporting students across phases, subject areas and beyond school. Notably, it highlights the breadth of evidence demonstrating oracy’s role in preparing young people to succeed in the workplace (both in meeting current needs for teamwork and collaboration and future demands in an age of AI) as well as its impact on “psychological and physical health in later life”.

We have seen this across our network of Voice 21 Oracy Schools: you can read about the difference oracy education is making across all facets of school life in our Impact Report, and about the role of oracy in everything from maths to career readiness in our journal The Talking Point. 

The Curriculum and Assessment Review recommends giving greater prominence to oracy in the English curriculum.

The Review acknowledges that, in the current English curriculum, there is a “lack of clear progression for spoken language across both primary and secondary education”. This reflects our analysis on oracy in the current national curriculum and is also emphasised in the Oracy Education Commission’s report. 

We are encouraged by proposed additional clarity, and the direction of travel indicated by the recommendations regarding the purpose of GCSE English Language. In particular, we welcome the opportunity for all students to learn to, through and about talk. We would encourage future phases of work to reconsider the prominence of ‘standard English’ in the curriculum, ensuring that students’ full linguistic repertoires are recognised, valued and developed. 

The Curriculum and Assessment Review identifies particularly useful contexts in which oracy should be developed, such as drama and citizenship.

We know that children are bursting to talk. They are curious, joyful, and passionate, with a lot to say, and they want their schools to be places where they are invited to grapple with the big issues of the day – from climate change to discrimination, as citizens in their schools and of the country. We also know that a focus on oracy is vital if those conversations are to be an opportunity for every child to engage deeply – expressing, forming and reforming their opinions, and using their voices for change. 

As such, it is good to see the Review acknowledge the interplay between oracy and citizenship: for “young people to become active and thoughtful citizens”, they need to develop skills “such as expressing opinions, listening to others’ points of view, and agreeing and disagreeing respectfully.”

Further, we also recognise that drama provides distinctive opportunities for pupils to engage in dialogue, express themselves and develop their oracy skills through creative processes. Therefore we welcome the recommendations in the review which give greater prominence to drama in Key Stages 1, 2 and 3.

In conclusion

Voice 21 welcomes the Review’s report, which shares our expansive and inclusive vision for oracy in our education system, and the government’s reaffirmation of the vital role that oracy education plays in young people’s learning and life chances. 

From our work in schools nationwide, we know that ambitious plans for oracy will succeed or fail in their implementation. We have learnt a great deal from our network of Voice 21 Oracy Schools and Centres of Excellence, and we look forward to ensuring that their insight and expertise inform and shape the next phase of this important work. The prize is an education system which equips every child to use their voice to thrive, in school, work and life.