Oracy

What is Oracy?

Oracy is the ability to express oneself fluently and grammatically in speech. It is about developing children’s spoken language skills, enabling them to articulate their thoughts, participate in discussions, and communicate effectively. At East Farleigh, we believe that strong Oracy skills are fundamental to our students’ success both academically and personally.

Our Vision

Our vision is for all children regardless of background to be empowered to listen and share their views confidently, knowing that their voice is important and valued.  We recognise the importance of oracy as a key life skill, that impacts on all aspects of learning, including future education beyond EFPS, widens employment opportunities and is a contributing factor to positive mental health.  

Oracy in the Curriculum

Oracy is woven into every aspect of our curriculum. From the early years through to Year 6, we provide structured opportunities for students to develop their speaking and listening skills. Our approach includes:

• Classroom Discussions: Encouraging thoughtful debate and dialogue in all subjects.

• Group Work: Promoting collaborative learning where students share ideas and build on each other’s contributions.

• Presentations: Regular opportunities for students to present their work to their peers and teachers.

• Drama and Role Play: Using creative expression to enhance understanding and communication.

• Oracy Projects: Engaging students in projects specifically designed to develop their Oracy skills.

Oracy Beyond the Classroom

We believe that Oracy should be embedded in our whole community culture. This means creating an environment where every voice is heard and valued. Our initiatives include:

• Assemblies and School Council: Giving students a platform to share their ideas and opinions.  Oracy assemblies involve much fewer children at a time, with clear opportunities and expectations for children to use their voice. 

• Parent Workshops: Supporting parents to develop their children’s Oracy skills at home.

• Community Projects: Collaborating with local organizations to provide real-world speaking opportunities.

• Staff Continuous Professional Development: Ensuring all staff are equipped with the skills to teach and model effective Oracy.

Our Commitment

As a Voice 21 School, we are committed to continuous improvement and innovation in our Oracy practices. We regularly review our strategies and seek new ways to enhance our provision. Our goal is to become a beacon of excellence in Oracy, not just within our school but within the wider educational community.  

By embedding Oracy in every aspect of school life, we aim to empower our students to become confident communicators, critical thinkers, and active participants in society.

Join us on our journey to give every child the gift of a powerful voice at East Farleigh Primary School.

Oracy News

• Monday 17 March 2025 Exploring the Acropolis on Google Earth Our topic, 'Groundbreaking Greeks' continued this week with our learning focusing on the location and size of the Acropolis of Athens. We used Google Earth to explore its features more closely and encouraged the children to describe what they could see. They continued to develop their oracy skills by discussing and debating how they think the building was used.
• Friday 10 January 2025 Presenting Maths! In maths this week, we have been learning about adding and subtracting fractions including mixed numbers. Year 5 have not only excelled at their mathematical learning but it has been so lovely to see them presenting their learning to the class. In oracy, we have been practising presenting in small groups. It is wonderful to now see how naturally the children are transferring these skills in different lessons. Well done Year 5!
• Thursday 10 October 2024 Oracy meets science As we move towards the end of our science learning, all about sound, we wanted to recap some of the key vocabulary and concepts we've covered so far this term. We were challenged to explore ways we could make links between cards such as insulation, vibration, volume, quieter, louder and sound wave. The children all developed different ideas and used their oracy sentence stems (I disagree with X because ..., so are you saying ...? and why do you think ...?).

Parent Presentation - Oracy