Oracy at Asquith Primary School

Growing To Succeed- Oracy The Asquith Way

‘One of our greatest gifts is to give children their voice, the oracy to confidently contribute, to step forward, and stop their lives being narrated by others."

 

Dan Nicholls

Oracy and Vocabulary Development

Oracy Development at Our School (with bullet points and references)

Oracy is a central feature of our curriculum and underpins learning across all subjects. Research shows that high-quality spoken language supports cognitive development, literacy, social communication and long-term academic outcomes (Alexander, 2017; EEF, 2021). To ensure every child develops the vocabulary, confidence and fluency required to access the curriculum, our approach is systematic, sequenced and embedded across all phases of the school.

We use a clearly defined vocabulary progression for every subject, ensuring that Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary is revisited and deepened over time (Beck et al., 2013). To support this, we use the following strategies consistently across the school:

  • Whole-school Word of the Week to widen cultural capital and expose pupils to ambitious language.
  • Vocabulary focus at the start of every lesson, including pronunciation modelling, meaning exploration and sentence-level rehearsal.
  • Explicit teaching of Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary in all subjects, supported by visual scaffolds and knowledge organisers.
  • Talk routines such as talk partners, turn-and-talk, choral response, no-opt-out, and oral rehearsal before writing.
  • Sentence stems and talk frames to support structured responses, especially for pupils with language delay or EAL.
  • Dialogic teaching practices where teachers encourage pupils to explain, justify, question and build on each other’s ideas.
  • Regular performance opportunities including debates, storytelling, poetry recitals, performances ( EYFS, KS1 Y6) and presentations.
  • Staff modelling of high-quality spoken language, accurate vocabulary use and sustained shared thinking.
  • Targeted early language interventions pre-teaching vocabulary groups and EAL language scaffolding.
  • Structured small-group dialogue to support turn-taking, inference, reasoning and social communication.
  • Reading aloud and high-quality texts to expose children to rich syntax and varied linguistic structures.

Oracy is prioritised within early education. In EYFS and Key Stage 1, children experience a talk-rich environment where expressive language, narrative skills and vocabulary acquisition are embedded through:

  • Storytelling and oral retelling
  • Role play and drama provision
  • Sustained shared thinking and adult-led dialogue
  • Songs, rhyme and language play

Year 2 begin the year with a dedicated oracy unit in writing to strengthen spoken sentence structure, conceptual fluency and confidence before moving into more formal written composition. This forms part of our early writing strategy, supporting oral rehearsal as the foundation of written outcomes (Mercer & Littleton, 2007).

Through this structured, research-informed approach (Rosenshine, 2012; Sweller, 1988), pupils build strong foundations in spoken language that support reading comprehension, disciplinary reasoning and overall academic achievement. Oracy is seen not only as a communication skill but as a tool for thinking, learning and participation, ensuring pupils develop the confidence and cultural capital needed beyond school (Bourdieu, 1986).

 

See our oracy progression map here

                                                   

 

 

Impact Statement

Our whole-school oracy approach has led to measurable improvements in pupils’ confidence, participation and ability to articulate ideas clearly. Pupils now demonstrate:

  • Improved fluency and accuracy when using subject-specific vocabulary.
  • Greater confidence and independence when expressing opinions or explaining their thinking.
  • Stronger reasoning skills due to structured dialogue and discussion routines.
  • Improved writing outcomes, supported by oral rehearsal and enriched vocabulary.
  • Higher engagement, particularly among disadvantaged pupils and those with speech, language or communication needs.
  • Beginning to see a reduction early language gaps, supported by enhanced provision in EYFS and KS1 and targeted interventions.

As a result, pupils leave each phase as articulate, reflective and confident communicators who possess the linguistic skills, resilience and cultural capital required to succeed academically and contribute positively as global citizens.