What Is Oracy? Explained

Category: Oracy,Uncategorized

Published: January 21, 2025

What is oracy

Oracy may not always get the same attention as literacy or numeracy, but its importance in shaping confident, articulate individuals cannot be overstated. From group discussions in primary classrooms to debates in secondary schools, oracy equips students with the speaking and listening skills they need to excel academically and socially.

In this article, we’ll unpack what oracy really means, why it matters, and how you can foster these essential skills across all age groups in your school.

What Is Oracy?

Simply put, Oracy is the development and practice of speaking and listening. However, the pedagogical concept of the term is much deeper. It involves effectively communicating, articulating thoughts, and participating in meaningful, balanced discussions while demonstrating relevant body language and linguistic and emotional cues. 

Oracy manifests in various ways throughout daily life. However, an oracy-focused school environment aims to foster students’ confidence in active listening, verbal expression, and constructing and conveying coherent arguments—all necessary for a fulfilled professional and personal life.

The Four Components of Oracy

Since Oracy encompasses many skills, they’re categorised into four components of the discipline (otherwise known as pillars).

Physical

Widely recognised as the foundation of communication, Oracy’s physical component includes non-verbal elements like voice clarity, eye contact, and body language. These skills allow students to engage with their audience (even if that audience is one person) and exude confidence.

Linguistic

When you think of Oracy, you likely thought of the linguistic component of it. It’s a common mistake, but in reality, linguistics (i.e., vocabulary, grammar, and storytelling) is just one of Oracy’s four pillars! It helps students articulate their thoughts and feelings both clearly and creatively. Storytelling projects are a particularly enjoyable way to develop linguistic skills (but more on that later).

Cognitive

This component involves formulating arguments, thinking critically, and organising thoughts. Developing these skills enables students to respond thoughtfully to others and structure their ideas logically.

Social and Emotional

Last but certainly not least, Oracy’s social and emotional pillar revolves around understanding emotions — of those around us and ourselves. Students with these skills will be able to self-regulate, empathise with others, and manage their feelings as they communicate with those around them.

Why Is Oracy Important?

Research has uncovered many benefits of oracy-focused curriculums.

Evidence shows that developing oracy skills improves academic performance across English, maths and science. 

But it isn’t just about academic achievement. Oracy’s advantages extend to improved employability and career readiness, self-confidence, resilience, empathy, self-awareness, well-being, happiness, life chances, and civic engagement and empowerment.

Oracy in the Classroom

The implicit teaching of oracy happens all the time in the classroom. But when you’re looking to take an oracy-focused approach, the following tables guides you through the age-dependent specific skills you should work on with your students and strategies to ensure your classroom effectively involves all four pillars of oracy:

Age-Dependent Oracy Skills

Key Stage Oracy Skills Taught and Learned
Key Stage 1 (Ages 5-7) – Listening and responding appropriately to peers and teachers
– Asking relevant questions to develop understanding and knowledge
– Articulating and justifying simple answers and opinions
– Providing structured explanations and descriptions
Key Stage 2 (Ages 7-11) – Listening and responding thoughtfully to others
– Asking meaningful questions to deepen understanding
– Articulating and justifying opinions and arguments with evidence
– Engaging in discussions and presentations
– Adapting language for different purposes and audiences
Key Stages 3 & 4 (Ages 11-16) – Participating in presentations, debates, and discussions
– Speaking confidently in various contexts
– Developing advanced oracy skills through English and other subjects
– Analyzing and evaluating spoken and written texts
– Communicating effectively in structured arguments and creative formats

Teaching Strategies for Oracy’s Four Pillars

Pillar Teaching Strategies
Physical – Encourage public speaking exercises focusing on clear pronunciation
– Use role-play to teach body language and eye contact
– Record and review pupil speeches to identify areas for improvement
Linguistic – Expand vocabulary through direct teaching and practical use
– Promote collaborative editing of peer work
– Conduct storytelling sessions and creative writing presentations
Cognitive – Facilitate classroom debates to encourage logical arguments
– Organize problem-solving activities that require verbal reasoning
– Introduce critical thinking challenges linked to real-life scenarios
Social & Emotional – Create a supportive environment where pupils feel comfortable expressing themselves
– Implement ’emotional check-ins’ for pupils to share feelings
– Foster empathy through group discussions and collaborative projects

Oracy vs Literacy and Numeracy

Literacy and numeracy have traditionally taken precedence over other curriculum subjects. But as of 2024, educators, researchers, and scientists alike say oracy should take over—or become as essential as literacy and numeracy, at least. Why? due to its importance, as discussed earlier. It forms the basis of our professional and personal lives, so why shouldn’t it be as important as other widely recognised essential disciplines?

Measuring and Assessing Oracy

While assessing oracy is still largely subjective, the Oracy Skills Framework and Glossary defines a list of attributes to look out for when assessing students’ skills. These include linguistic notions like using appropriate vocabulary in the context, physical attributes like pronunciation clarity, and cognitive choices like maintaining focus on the topic.

Improve Your Students Communication Skills With Oracy

Embedding oracy into your teaching and focusing on its four pillars, you can help your students build the confidence, communication skills, and emotional intelligence they need to succeed academically and socially.

Whether through classroom discussions, debates, or storytelling, prioritising oracy will prepare your pupils for the wider world beyond the school gates.

Explore Oracy Champions today!

BBC Radio 4 Today Peter Hyman and Amol Rajan talk Oracy

Category: Oracy

Published: October 8, 2024

Oracy and Digital Literacy Skills Needed in addition to the 3Rs

In a recent interview on BBC Radio, Peter Hyman, former senior advisor to Tony Blair and Kier Starmer, discussed the need for a broader, richer, and more cutting-edge curriculum that equips young people for life and work in the modern world. This comes in light of the government’s call for a review of the curriculum in England, aimed at raising school standards and ensuring students are prepared for future challenges.

Hyman emphasised the importance of oracy, or the ability to express oneself fluently and grammatically in speech, as a critical skill for social mobility and personal development. According to him, oracy should be seen as the “golden thread” that weaves through all subjects in the curriculum. He highlighted its benefits not only for academic knowledge but also for fostering empathy, bridging social divides, and improving mental health and well-being.

Hyman’s stance builds on previous reforms that focused heavily on literacy and numeracy. However, he argues that the modern curriculum should also include two additional core skills: oracy and digital skills. In a world of rapid technological change, students need to be equipped with the digital literacy necessary to navigate AI and other emerging technologies. Schools, according to Hyman, are only just beginning to address this need, and the current curriculum doesn’t provide the space for educators to fully embrace these skills.

Reflecting on his experience founding School 21 in East London, Hyman shared his educational philosophy of “head, heart, and hand.” This approach balances academic knowledge, social skills such as resilience and empathy, and creativity and problem-solving. He stressed that a curriculum focused solely on traditional academic knowledge is too narrow and fails to develop well-rounded individuals who are prepared for the complexities of modern life and work.

Amol Rajan, the interviewer, raised concerns about the balance between traditional knowledge and broader skill sets, questioning whether a focus on more progressive educational approaches might disadvantage students from poorer backgrounds. Hyman responded by asserting that skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and oracy are often mischaracterised as “soft skills” but are in fact difficult to acquire and essential for success in life and work.

Looking forward, Hyman predicts that the most profound change in education will come through the government’s planned curriculum and assessment review. This reform, which won’t require significant financial resources, could have a lasting impact by ensuring that the education system is truly fit for purpose in the 21st century.

As the need for both oracy and digital literacy becomes increasingly clear in today’s education landscape, OracyChampions.com offers a unique solution that addresses both. Not only does it help students develop their speaking and listening skills, but it also enhances digital literacy by integrating technology into the learning process. By fostering structured conversations and encouraging the use of digital tools to record and reflect on their own voices, OracyChampions.com prepares students for the challenges of the modern world, making them confident communicators and tech-savvy individuals ready for life and work.