Oracy at John Betts

At our school, we believe oracy—the ability to speak and listen effectively—is a vital foundation for children’s personal, social, and academic growth. Our aim is for every child to become a confident and articulate communicator, actively participating in lessons and using their speaking and listening skills across all areas of learning and in later life. Oracy supports children in making positive contributions to their communities and helps them grow into thoughtful, global citizens.

At John Betts, oral rehearsal is a vital part of learning for primary children because it helps them organise their thoughts, develop language, and build confidence before committing ideas to paper. It is used in partnership with our inclusion charter. By talking through their ideas, children can reduce cognitive load, clarify what they want to say, practise new vocabulary, and hear how sentences sound, which supports both speaking and writing skills. Through discussion, storytelling, and partner talk, children deepen their understanding, make connections, and become more confident communicators, laying strong foundations for successful learning across the curriculum.

Our Intent:

• To nurture confident and effective communicators

• To create opportunities for personal achievement and peer connection

• To develop oracy skills for life beyond school

• To inspire motivation and a sense of personal accomplishment

• To foster a sense of belonging, value, and importance

• To enrich our curriculum and support excellence across subjects
   

Our Implementation:

• Using consistent sentence stems

• Encouraging purposeful and meaningful talk

• Providing structured opportunities for discussion, negotiation, and presentations

• Showcasing oral rehearsal through poetry recitals, assemblies, pupil voice activities, class presentations, and everyday classroom conversations
   

The Impact:

• Improved outcomes for all children

• Enhanced writing and communication across the curriculum

• Stronger progress for disadvantaged pupils
   

Through our oracy approach, we aim to inspire confident, articulate, and thoughtful learners who are ready to engage fully with the world around them.