A Turning Point for Oracy in Education

We’re delighted to see oracy receiving the recognition it deserves in the Curriculum and Assessment review. Producing an oracy framework for both primary and secondary students is a huge step forward.

A Turning Point for Oracy in Education

The recent curriculum and assessment review now places oracy at the heart of learning, providing a definition of oracy as “incorporating speaking, listening, and communication, including verbal as well as other forms of non-written communication, such as sign language, non-verbal and Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC)”. This shift, which has been accepted by the Department for Education, acknowledges that oracy and its underpinning skills are not simply a precursor to literacy, but vital skills in their own right, foundational for academic success, employability, and citizenship.
Organisations such as Speech & Language Link contributed to the Oracy Education Commission’s report about the importance of oracy across the whole curriculum. In fact, educators and policymakers have long argued that oracy deserves parity with reading and writing.

The review’s recommendations for an oracy framework across primary and secondary signal a systemic commitment to ensuring children develop strong speaking and listening skills from the earliest years.

Why Oracy Matters

• Foundation for learning: Oral language is the bedrock for literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving.
• Equity and inclusion: The review recognises that although a fifth of children currently don’t meet required targets for communication and language, this is higher in groups who face greater disadvantage or learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), making it an important ‘vehicle for social justice’ .
• Future readiness: Employers consistently rank communication skills among the most valued attributes in the workplace.

Oracy is based on key speech, language and communication skills which are part of the Government’s opportunity mission with a target to ensure ¾ of children are school ready by 2028.

Speech & Language Link: Practical Support for Schools

Speech & Language Link, a leading provider of speech and language support tools for schools, has been working for over 20 years to make classrooms and learners “oracy ready.”