At Longvernal, as a Voice 21 school, we view oracy as a powerful tool for learning, underpinning our whole curriculum; by teaching children to become more effective speakers and listeners we empower them to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them. It is also a route to social mobility, empowering all children to find their voice to succeed in school and life. Speaking and listening underpin all activities across the day. Class discussions, story time sessions, circle time, PSHE lessons and 'talk partners' are all opportunities for pupils to build talking and listening skills. Whole class guided reading sessions take place, giving many opportunities for pupils to listen, build vocabulary and talk about texts. Where teachers have concerns regarding a child's speech and language skills, intervention groups or 1:1 sessions are timetabled and a referral to an external agency made, if necessary. Teachers use 'talk partners' to encourage listening behaviours and routines for talking and sharing ideas. Our teachers ensure that there is a secure progression across the school by consulting the Oracy Progression Map.

Click here to see our Oracy progression document