Oracy at Byker Primary School

“Our pupils are our greatest strength; they are our future. At Byker Primary School, we want to equip our pupils with the tools to be able to confidently express their views, opinions and ideas and engage in high-quality, purposeful conversations that they can apply to further education and beyond. Providing our pupils with the skills of using their voice and expressing themselves will aid them when understanding the world, aspiring to achieve and broadening their horizons which is at the heart of everything we do.”

Why oracy is important to us...  Oracy is the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language and listening. Oracy is proven to:

1. Increase engagement in learning.
2. Improve academic outcomes.
3. Fosters wellbeing and self-confidence.
4. Supports transitions to secondary school and beyond.
5. Equips pupils to thrive in a democratic and civic society.
6. Promotes social equity.

At Byker Primary School, quality talk is at the heart of our curriculum. We strongly believe that our pupils’ voices need nurturing and support in order to help them express themselves confidently and with ease. In turn, this has been proven through evidence to help aid thinking, listening and communication skills that support pupils beyond their education and helps foster wellbeing and self-confidence.

As a school, we do not see oracy as a stand-alone subject, but rather as a tool that is utilised across the curriculum and plays an integral part of the teaching and learning here. We feel it is our responsibility to prepare our pupils for the world around them and aid them on their journey to becoming independent citizens who can effectively discuss their feelings, thoughts and opinions.

As per our intent, oracy is interwoven across our Byker Primary School curriculum and part of our everyday routines. Within every classroom, you will see:

• Collaborative Learning Guidelines so that pupils are constantly aware of what is expected of them during conversations and discussions.
• Purposefully, planned opportunities for oracy across the curriculum, where pupils are able to develop their thinking and understanding through talk.
• Clear modelling of oracy from staff so that pupils have role models who are constantly embedding and demonstrating how to have a skilled conservation.
• Talk tactics within lessons to help children focus on specific skills they are practising. For example, if pupils are focusing on ‘challenge’, there may be talking stems on how to do this such as. ‘I disagree because…’ ‘Have you considered…?’

Due to utilising oracy as a part of our pedagogy here at Byker Primary, it is having a positive impact on the teaching and learning in every subject across the curriculum. Oracy will boost our pupils’ confidence and support their mental wellbeing by equipping them with the skills to be a successful, independent citizen.

As well as this, oracy progress can be measured through formative assessment by the class teacher. They can use the whole school targets to help guide the learning in the classroom, but also adapt it to suit the needs of individual learners.