The Curriculum and Assessment Review’s Interim Report was released yesterday, but in a baffling omission it does not mention oracy, or speaking and listening.
The importance of speaking and listening was included in the Review’s Terms of Reference, in the Labour Party Manifesto and, the Prime Minister himself outlined the importance of oracy in an education system that tears down barriers to opportunity – one of the Government’s five missions:
“These skills are absolutely critical for our children’s future success. First and foremost – for academic attainment. But it’s not just a skill for learning, it’s also a skill for life. Not just for the workplace, also for working out who you are – for overcoming shyness or disaffection, anxiety or doubt – or even just for opening up more to our friends and family.”
Momentum for oracy is growing fast. Nationally, one in ten schools now has a named Oracy Lead*, and this year alone, over a thousand schools are working with Voice 21 to embed high-quality oracy education.
The Curriculum and Assessment Review Interim Report itself identifies communication skills as a key priority for parents. Last year, YouGov polling found that over 80% of business leaders and parents support more time being spent on the development of young people’s spoken language and listening skills at school*.
The evidence is clear that oracy education supports learning and attainment across subjects. Schools across the country are seeing how it also supports wellbeing, relationships with others and a sense of belonging. In October, We Need to Talk, a report from the Commission on the Future of Oracy in England, described oracy as the ‘Fourth ‘R’’ alongside reading, writing and arithmetic, a “foundational building block to support our young people on their journey towards living fulfilling adult lives.”
“A Curriculum that enables children and young people to thrive at school and prepares them for their future lives and careers must have speaking, listening and communication skills at its heart. Parents, employers and the Prime Minister himself know this and so do teachers across the country who see the difference that oracy education is making in their classrooms. So it’s completely baffling that this issue isn’t mentioned, especially as it is in the Review’s terms of reference. The Curriculum and Assessment Review urgently needs to catch up and follow the evidence,” said Dr Kate Paradine, CEO of Voice 21.
The Curriculum and Assessment Review is a generational opportunity to embed oracy effectively into the curriculum and ensure that every child can use their voice to thrive in school, work and life.
We look forward to working with the Curriculum and Assessment Review team to address this omission and ensure that oracy is included in the final report so that oracy education can become the entitlement of every child.
We believe that schools have the power to change a child’s life and create a fairer society. Oracy sets children up for success in school and life. Voice 21 supports schools to deliver high quality oracy education by ensuring speaking, listening and communication is part of the curriculum, teaching and wider school life. Oracy is articulating ideas, developing understanding and engaging with others through speaking, listening and communication. It supports children to get the best start in life ready to learn.
We work in the schools in which we can make the biggest difference. In Voice 21 schools, you will hear students solving problems collaboratively in maths and dissecting arguments in history, talking through conflicts in the playground and leading assemblies. Like literacy and numeracy, oracy is teachable. It is foundational for learning, work, creating healthy relationships with other people and building stronger communities.
Parent polling:All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 4242 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 23rd – 27th February 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB parents of children 18 and under.Business decision makers polling:All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1007 business decision makers. Fieldwork was undertaken between 26th February – 4th March 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of British business size and region.Funding for polling was provided by the British Academy, via an Innovation Fellowship partnership ‘Levelling up through Talk’ with Prof Arlene Holmes-Henderson (Durham University).
Figures from Teacher Tapp. Total sample size was 9,796 teachers. Fieldwork was undertaken in January 2025. The survey was carried out through the Teacher Tapp app on teachers’ mobile phones across England. The results have been weighted and are representative of the teaching population in England.Polling found that 35% of class teachers say that they meet statutory spoken language requirements, 11% say that they exceed requirements, 44% say that they do not know if they meet requirements, and 7% say that they do not meet statutory spoken language requirements set out in the National Curriculum.Polling also found that 13% of schools have a named oracy lead.
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