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Oracy

Our Vision for Oracy

At North Lakes School, we believe that spoken language is the foundation of learning, relationships and personal empowerment. Our Oracy curriculum ensures that every child becomes a confident, articulate and thoughtful speaker and listener. Through the Voice 21 framework, we teach pupils how to express themselves clearly, listen actively, reason effectively and engage respectfully with others.

We want every child to leave North Lakes with the communication skills they need to thrive in school, in their community and in their future lives.

What is Oracy?

Oracy means helping children learn to speak clearly, listen carefully and communicate confidently. Just like reading and writing, speaking and listening are skills that can be taught, practised and improved.

Why Oracy Matters

Strong speaking and listening skills help children to:

  • Share their ideas with confidence
  • Work well with others
  • Build friendships
  • Understand new learning
  • Express their feelings
  • Prepare for secondary school and future life

Good communication supports success in every subject — not just English.

Curriculum Implementation

At North Lakes we follow the Voice 21 Oracy Framework, we develop pupils’ skills across four key strands:

  • Physical – voice projection, clarity, pace, body language
  • Linguistic – vocabulary, grammar, rhetorical techniques
  • Cognitive – organising ideas, reasoning, building arguments
  • Social & Emotional – confidence, active listening, turn‑taking, empathy

We embed Voice 21 approaches across all subjects. These include:

  • Talk Tactics such as “instigate”, “build on”, “challenge”, “clarify” and “summarise”
  • Discussion guidelines co‑created with pupils
  • Structured talk including partner talk, group discussion and whole‑class dialogue
  • Oracy roles such as instigator, summariser, challenger and builder
  • Explicit teaching of vocabulary, sentence stems and speaking frames
  • Opportunities for performance/presentational talk including presentations, storytelling and drama

Talk‑Rich Classrooms

Teachers plan purposeful talk opportunities into lessons as well as explicitly teaching oracy skills during our Talk Tuesday class assembly time. Pupils learn how to:

  • Share ideas with a partner
  • Participate in group problem‑solving
  • Present information clearly
  • Debate respectfully
  • Ask questions that deepen understanding
  • Use talk to rehearse ideas before writing

Inclusion

Oracy is for every child. We ensure:

  • Scaffolded talk opportunities for pupils who need additional support
  • Visual prompts, sentence stems and vocabulary banks
  • Mixed‑ability grouping to support peer modelling
  • Safe, supportive environments where all voices are valued
  • Opportunities for quieter pupils to build confidence gradually

Our inclusive approach ensures that every child can participate, contribute and grow as a communicator.

Enrichment

We enrich our Oracy curriculum through:

  • Assemblies and performances
  • Pupil voice sessions
  • Debate and discussion events
  • Drama, storytelling and poetry recitals
  • Opportunities to speak to visitors, authors and community partners
  • Collaborative projects that require teamwork and communication

These experiences help pupils apply their Oracy skills in real‑world contexts.

Impact

The impact of our Oracy curriculum is seen in pupils who:

  • Speak confidently and clearly in a range of situations
  • Listen actively and respectfully
  • Use ambitious vocabulary and well‑structured sentences
  • Work collaboratively and communicate effectively
  • Show improved outcomes in reading, writing and across the curriculum
  • Are ready for secondary school with strong communication skills

We see the impact of Oracy in children’s confidence, their learning across the curriculum and their ability to express themselves clearly.