Oracy is the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language. In school, Oracy is a powerful tool for learning; by teaching students to become more effective speakers and listeners we empower them to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them.
Through a high-quality Oracy education students learn through talk and to talk. This is when they develop and deepen their subject knowledge and understanding through talk in the classroom, which has been planned, designed, modelled, scaffolded and structured to enable them to learn the skills needed to talk effectively.
The deliberate, explicit and systematic teaching of Oracy across phases and throughout the curriculum will support children and young people to make progress in our strands of Oracy outlined in the Oracy Framework. These skills are crucial to children and young people’s success in school and in their life beyond. It is therefore vital that in every school, an education in Oracy is the responsibility of every teacher and the entitlement of every child.
BCHS' Oracy leads , Rebecca Wood (SLT Lead), Ismail Chotia (Whole School Literacy Lead), Jackie Davies (Oracy Champion) and Sophie Baillie (Oracy Champion), are passionate champions of Oracy. They have attended training with Voice 21, provide CPD for all staff, host drop-in workshops, provide whole school resources and update the school's Oracy website in order to support the staff and students at BCHS.