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.

We teach oracy deliberately and systematically throughout the curriculum, guided by the Oracy Framework developed by Oracy Cambridge and Voice 21. This framework identifies the physical, linguistic, cognitive, and social-emotional skills that children need to succeed in a variety of speaking and listening situations. In partnership with Finding My Voice, we ensure every pupil is empowered to value their own voice and the voices of others.

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:

• Teaching a structured framework of oracy skills

• Using consistent hand gestures and sentence stems

• Encouraging purposeful and meaningful talk

• Providing structured opportunities for discussion, negotiation, and presentations

• Showcasing learning 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.