Empowering children through Oracy by Aspirer Research School

From the latest news shared by the Aspirer Research School, Lisa Hesmondhalgh (Director of English at Aspire Educational Trust) considers in-depth the impact of teaching oracy and how it gives confidence and a voice to primary aged pupils.

Oracy is our ability to communicate effectively using spoken language. Oracy is the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language. Voice 21

For the article, Lisa visited Wilbraham Primary School situated in Manchester. It serves an ethnically diverse area with 652 pupils on role, speaking 46 different languages. 50% of pupils are eligible for FSM. The school began to work with Voice 21 in 2022 and now its Oracy Champions leading the implementation of oracy education across the Aspire Educational Trust.

Lisa outlines the Oracy Framework, shares why oracy matters and unpicks the evidence around communication and language to inform implementation plans. Giving examples of classroom practices exemplify the school’s oracy journey and how spoken language fits into the national curriculum for English. She shares extensive links to resources for readers to follow.

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