Oracy
Intent
At Vittoria Primary School, our Oracy curriculum is designed to provide every child with the core Speaking and Listening skills they need to empower children to learn through collaborative, exploratory talk and thrive academically and socially. We believe that Oracy skills are as fundamental to success and wellbeing as Reading, Writing and Maths. In accordance with the Oracy Education Commission's report titled We Need To Talk, we aim to ensure that children are “equipped to ask questions, to articulate ideas, to formulate powerful arguments, to deepen their sense of identity and belonging, and to listen actively and critically”.
Rooted in the science of learning, our Oracy curriculum ensures that speaking and listening skills are taught progressively to enable pupils to gain confidence over their time at Vittoria. We are committed to inclusivity; tailoring learning through wave 1, 2, and 3 support for SEND children. Our intent is to balance the development of key skills with core knowledge, preparing our pupils for the next stage of their education and equipping them with the tools to become critical thinkers, life-long learners and engaged citizens.
Implementation
Teachers at Vittoria Primary School know that Oracy means learning to talk and learning through talk. We are a Voice 21 school and use the Voice 21 Oracy Framework to develop pupils' speaking and listening skills. We recognise that successful communication emcompasses a wide range of skills from the physical variation of voice and body language, the use of specific vocabulary, the careful application of thought to what we say, and the consideration of the audiences whom we are communicating with.
Oracy skills are taught explicitly and progressively at Vittoria Primary School. Each week, children attend an Oracy assembly where they are introduced to a weekly talking point. Talking points often reflect current topics of playground conversation or topical points from the news. The following day, teachers work with their classes to develop speaking and listening skills in relation to the identified talking points. Children explicitly practice a wide range of skills including how to instigate covnersation, probe for further details, politely challenge each others' opinions, clarify key points, build on one another's ideas and close a conversation by summarising the points covered. Children in KS2 are guided to reflect on their developing Oracy skills by consciously examining the quality of their own and their peers' talk and offering feedback. Children are encouraged to use these skills throughout their school day by engaging positively with peers and adults in classrooms, the playground and lunch hall. They do not line up in silence while waiting for lunch, instead they engage each other in conversations about that week's hot topic or a more light-hearted 'Would you rather?' discussion.
Our school celebrates linguistic diversity and we are incredibly fortunate to have a global community who speak countless languages! We recognise and benefit from the linguistic resources that our students bring into the classroom, ensuring that both students and teachers are curious about language and understand how it links to identity and belonging. Children learn how language is adaptable by exploring how we adapt our level of formaility, the vocabulary we choose and our sentence structures when speaking to different audiences and communicating for different purposes.
Impact
The impact of our Oracy curriculum is seen in the progress, confidence and curiosity of our pupils. Though repeated practice and well-structured opportunities for talk, children develop a strong foundation of knowledge and skills, allowing them to retain and apply what they have learned. Our approach fosters critical thinking, creativity and a global perspective, ensuring pupils leave Vittoria Primary School as well-rounded individuals, prepared for future success. By cultivating curiosity and a love of learning, we aim to empower pupils to navigate the world with confidence and resilience.
