Oracy

Speaking and listening are fundamental to good communication for us all and are independent of ability in reading and writing. We recognise the importance of this skill and therefore teach Oracy as a discrete subject as well as interweaving it into all other areas of the curriculum. 

Children are encouraged to develop effective communication skills in readiness for later life. We aim for children to be able to speak clearly, fluently and coherently, to be able to listen attentively with understanding, pleasure and empathy and contribute to group discussions effectively. 

We achieve this by: 

• giving our children confidence in themselves as speakers and listeners by showing them that we value their conversations and opinions. 

• encouraging a respect for the views of others. 
• being aware that as adults, we provide a model of speakers and listeners in our day-to-day interactions with them and with other adults in our school. 
• helping them to articulate their ideas and provide purposes and audiences for talk within a range of formal and informal situations and in individual, partner, group and class contexts. 
• by providing opportunities to perform to a larger audience, in assemblies and productions, where children’s efforts and skills are acknowledged by staff, parents, carers, visitors and peers. 
• by providing a range of experiences where children can work collaboratively and participate in opportunities to reflect on talk and explore real and imagined situations through role play, hot-seating, drama and discussions. 

• by developing the children’s ability to listen with attention and understanding in all areas of the curriculum and where necessary, asking and responding to questions appropriately. 

From entry in EYFS, children are given opportunities to develop and learn new skills in formal and informal settings, both in and outside of the classroom. Children are encouraged to speak clearly and listen carefully, and both speaking and listening are stimulated in a range of ways. 

Children are given opportunities to: 

• speak and listen and represent ideas in their activities; 

• Listen to and respond to stories, rhymes, poems, songs and games from various cultures 
• Respond to visual and aural stimuli, such as pictures, paintings, radio or film clips 
• use communication, language and literacy in every part of the curriculum; 
• become immersed in an environment rich in print and opportunities to communicate. 

Here are the links to the ‘Sticky Knowledge’ documents that show the progression in Oracy development from Nursery through to Year Six (taken from The Lantern Trust Skills Progression):

EYFS to Year One

Year One to Year Two

Year Two to Year Three

Year Three to Year Four

Year Four to Year Five

Year Five to Year Six

What our children say about Oracy at Park Spring:

• “You learn new vocabulary”.
• We have “Sentence stems on the board. They are useful – they help you if you don’t know what to say.”
• “It helps in life and job interviews.”
• “Knowledge Organisers have vocabulary on and it says what it (the word) means. You can look back at it (in your book).”
• “When you are having a conversation you can use new words.”
• “You can learn new vocabulary and use it in upcoming lessons.”