Oracy at Greenwood Primary School

At Greenwood Primary School, we believe every child deserves to be heard. We recognise the vital importance of developing strong communication skills from the moment children join our school. To support this, we have introduced a whole-school focus on Oracy.

Oracy is a key part of our approach to learning, helping children to develop confidence, express their ideas clearly and become effective, life-long learners and communicators. It plays an integral role in our School Improvement Plan, reflecting our commitment to raising standards and empowering pupils with the skills they need for the future.

Our Vision

What is Oracy?

‘Oracy is the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language – learning to talk and through talk.’ (Voice21).

We teach our children to become confident, articulate speakers and attentive, effective listeners. These essential skills underpin everything we do at Greenwood Primary School and will support our pupils throughout their education and beyond when they leave our school.

Why is Oracy Important?

Oracy skills help children succeed both in school and in later life. A strong focus on oracy supports children in many important ways.

Oracy builds confidence and encourages children to take part in learning. It helps them believe that their voice matters and teaches them how to share their ideas clearly so others will listen. Research shows that children are more engaged in school when oracy is a key focus.

Oracy also supports learning across all subjects. Children develop better vocabulary, learn how to explain their thinking and work together to solve problems. Good oracy skills support wellbeing too. Children learn how to build positive relationships, talk about their feelings, solve problems and manage conflicts. Most importantly, oracy prepares children for the future. It gives them the communication skills they need to continue learning, find work and take an active role in the world around them.

How do we encourage purposeful talk in the classroom?

Discussion Guidelines
At Greenwood Primary School, our discussion guidelines are agreed with the children and shared across the school. Examples from Reception, Year 2 and Year 6 demonstrate how expectations develop as pupils progress through the school.

Talk Tactics
Children are taught to use agreed sentence stems, known as Talk Tactics, to support confident, respectful and purposeful discussion.

Group Work
Across the curriculum, children regularly take part in group tasks with a clear, shared outcome. These may include activities such as drama, role play or solving a mathematical challenge together.

Talking Partners and Groupings
Children are given regular opportunities to talk with partners or work in trios and small groups. These structured discussions support children to share ideas, make predictions and work collaboratively to solve problems.

Children at Greenwood Primary School should be able to:

• Speak fluently with confidence and clarity when addressing an audience, using full sentences.

• Explore, develop and clarify ideas through purposeful talk.

• Use gesture deliberately to support the delivery of ideas, for example gesturing towards a speaker when referencing their contribution.

• Recognise the importance of listening carefully and respectfully to others.

• Adapt their spoken language for different contexts and audiences, including the use of Standard English where appropriate.

• Value their own opinions and express them clearly and confidently to others.

• Reflect on their oracy skills, identifying strengths and areas for further development.

• Ask relevant questions to deepen understanding and find out more about a subject.

• Respond thoughtfully to others, respectfully challenge viewpoints and develop reasoned arguments.

• Be open-minded, value the contributions of others and take account of differing perspectives.

• Consider the impact of their words on others, particularly when giving feedback.

• Share their learning in an engaging and informative way through formal presentations.

Talk Tuesday

Talk Tuesday is a key part of our commitment to developing strong oracy skills at Greenwood Primary School. Each week, a carefully chosen discussion question is shared on Google Classroom to encourage purposeful talk at home, helping children to explore ideas, build vocabulary and express their thinking with confidence. By using the provided sentence stems, children learn how to structure their responses, listen to different viewpoints and explain their ideas clearly. These shared conversations support children in becoming thoughtful speakers and active listeners, and we thank parents and carers for playing such an important role in nurturing confident communicators.