Oracy

We are a Voice 21 Oracy Centre of Excellence 2026

We are proud to have been recognised as a Voice 21 Oracy Centre of Excellence for our work in developing students' oracy (speaking, listening and communication) skills.  

Becoming a Voice 21 Centre of Excellence certifies and celebrates that we are leading the way in providing a high-quality oracy education for students and acting as a beacon of good practice for over 1200+ Voice 21 Oracy Schools nationwide.

In Voice 21 Oracy Schools, students learn the oracy skills they need to succeed in school and in life.

Why oracy matters?

Oracy, like reading, writing and arithmetic, is a foundational skill that ensures students thrive at school and in life.  By teaching students to become effective communicators, we empower them to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them.

• Speaking, listening, and communication skills are critical foundations for reading and writing.
• On average, oral language approaches have a high impact on pupil outcomes of 6 months’ additional progress.
• Young people with good communication skills are less likely to have mental health difficulties.
• Young people with good communication skills are less likely to have mental health difficulties.

As a Voice 21 Oracy Centre of Excellence, we put oracy at the heart of our teaching and learning across all subject areas, enabling students to develop and deepen their knowledge and understanding through talk in the classroom.

We support our students to become articulate communicators who are able to present themselves confidently across a range of settings and contexts, from group discussions to formal presentations.

In Voice 21 Oracy Schools:

• 86% of students agree that it's important to be a good speaker and listener
• 77% of teachers said that oracy had boosted attainment.
• 79% of teachers said that oracy is an essential part of teaching and learning.

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.

Look at how Oracy is embedded into our curriculum  in the respective class progression maps:

EYFS Progression Maps

Year 1 Progression Maps

Year 2 Progression Maps

Year 3 Progression Maps

Year 4 Progression Maps

Year 5 Progression Maps

Year 6 Progression Maps

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.

Oracy News

• Tuesday 30 September 2025 Debating Ancient Sumerian Society This week we've been learning about the hierarchy of societal roles in Ancient Sumer. We discovered the King led society and was above Priests, the Upper Class, Lower Class and Slaves. This caused quite the stir amongst the class who were outraged that a King was considered more important than the people who actually went out and did all the work! With this in mind, an impromptu debate erupted - a perfect opportunity to practise our oracy skills. Check out some of the conversations and views in the video below!
• 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