At South Pennine Academies, we want every student to have the best possible chance to achieve in school. Stronger partnerships with families, local businesses, community agencies and universities are essential as we focus on improving student outcomes.
01484 503110
At Willowpark, we believe that talk is the true foundation of learning. As a part of high-quality oracy education, children should learn how to talk and through talk, deepening their subject knowledge and understanding through classroom talk which has been planned, structured and scaffolded to enable children to learn skills needed to talk effectively. It is crucial that oracy is implemented at a whole school level, throughout a variety of subject areas.
We believe that spoken language is an essential tool for our children to become model citizens of tomorrow. Oracy is beginning to be embedded throughout our whole curriculum and is a key driver in all that we do. Teachers set high expectations and model the correct use of oracy for our children to allow them to become confident speakers for a range of different purposes and audiences. Teaching a set of core skills, which progress throughout their time at Willowpark, allows children to develop year on year.
All teachers in the school will become familiar with Voice 21's oracy teacher benchmarks which include; setting high expectations for talk, Valuing every child's voice, Teaching oracy explicitly throughout the curriculum, Harnessing oracy to elevate learning and appraising progress in oracy. Through these, the school further develops a culture of oracy across Willowpark from our EYFS through to KS2.
We aim to improve the level of oracy skills for all our children allowing them to articulate their thoughts and feelings confidently and realise their full potential. We teach a range of skills that will enable children to develop their speaking, through the following strands; Physical, Linguistic, Cognitive and Social emotional. It is important for children to learn the fundamental talking skills which will help support them in all areas of their learning.
For further information on progression of the strands from EYFS to Year 6, please see the document below.
oracy progression map january 2021 willowpark.pdf
Our aim is to develop and encourage fluent speakers, giving children the opportunities to express themselves through a wide range of contexts. We encourage children to speak with confidence and clarity while recognising the importance of listening and collaborating with others. We ensure that children are exposed to and are developing a high level of vocabulary by learning new ambitious words each week.
Teachers implement a range of activities within the classroom that will enable children to learn through talk and learn to talk. Pupils have a variety of oracy opportunities both exploratory and presentational. All lessons allow for exploratory discussional talk and children are beginning to use their talk tactics to build and challenge the ideas of others. There are also planned opportunities to presentational talk throughout the curriculum ensuring children develop their confidence and are prepared for their future.
Oracy skills (from our oracy progression map) are taught explicitly and developed throughout lessons and 'Curiosity Cubes' are used to instigate talk and discussions. We use speaking as a scientist | speaking as a historian | speaking as a geographer prompts within the wider curriculum.
With oracy at the forefront of our thinking, children are able to express themselves in a variety of contexts and can share their ideas; listen to those of others; build on ideas; challenge others respectfully and are willing to change their viewpoint. Progression through oracy allows children to become independent learners that strive to achieve the best of their ability in everything they do.
The impact of teaching oracy:
Pupils will have proficient oracy skills and be able to use language to communicate confidently, fluently and articulately. With this aspect of cultural capital, our students will be able to positively contribute to their society, both now and in the future.
