At St. Joseph’s, our intent is for all pupils to become confident, articulate and respectful communicators who can use talk effectively to learn, think, collaborate and succeed in school and beyond.

We aim to develop pupils who:

  • Speak with confidence and clarity
  • Express ideas clearly and purposefully
  • Listen actively and respond thoughtfully to others
  • Develop confidence, resilience and self-belief as speakers
  • Understand how communication skills are used in everyday life and future careers

Through our Oracy curriculum, pupils learn to value talk as a powerful tool for learning, communication and connection, with clear links to education, relationships, employment and wider society.

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Key Oracy Concepts

Throughout the school, pupils develop the following core oracy skills:

  • Speak clearly and confidently for different audiences and purposes
  • Listen actively and respectfully to others
  • Ask thoughtful questions to deepen understanding
  • Build on and challenge ideas appropriately
  • Use subject-specific vocabulary accurately
  • Present information clearly and effectively
  • Justify opinions using reasons and evidence
  • Engage in purposeful discussion and collaboration

Pupils learn that different types of talk have different purposes. They develop the skills to:

  • Explore ideas and deepen understanding
  • Negotiate to reach agreements and solve problems
  • Persuade using reasons and evidence
  • Explain ideas, processes and concepts clearly

Implementation

Oracy is embedded across the curriculum and forms a central part of teaching and learning at St. Joseph’s. Opportunities for purposeful talk are carefully planned and progressively developed from Early Years through to Year 6.

Pupils regularly engage in:

  • Partner, group and whole-class discussions
  • Collaborative learning activities
  • Presentation and performance opportunities
  • Debate and discussion of different viewpoints
  • Structured talk using sentence stems and discussion protocols
  • Reflection and evaluation of speaking and listening skills

Teachers explicitly model effective communication and provide opportunities for pupils to rehearse, refine and improve their spoken language across a range of contexts.

Oracy at the Heart of Learning

Oracy supports learning in every subject and underpins success across the curriculum. Pupils regularly:

  • Discuss and explore new ideas
  • Explain their thinking and reasoning
  • Ask and answer questions
  • Build on the contributions of others
  • Use subject-specific vocabulary in meaningful contexts

This strong emphasis on talk helps pupils deepen understanding, develop vocabulary, strengthen reasoning skills and become more confident learners.

Impact

By the time pupils leave St. Joseph’s, they will be:

  • Confident and articulate communicators
  • Effective listeners who value different perspectives
  • Able to participate successfully in discussions and debates
  • Skilled in presenting ideas clearly and persuasively
  • Equipped to collaborate, problem-solve and think critically
  • Prepared for future learning, employment and life beyond school

Pupils leave St. Joseph’s with a secure foundation in oracy, enabling them to communicate with confidence, engage positively with others and use their voice effectively in the wider world.