Page 17 - The East Sussex Way

Ensure teachers have thought about what progress in
oracy looks like and how they might track it.

Teach and model the use of rich vocabulary in all lessons
and subjects. Teachers should model using complex,

specialist vocabulary, consolidating pupils understanding
so they can apply and use it themselves.

Use the Voice 21 oracy benchmarks to plan clearly and
deliberately for oracy teaching.

Suggested strategies:
• Teach debate, philosophy and public speaking.
• Create debate clubs and engage with local schools

to promote oracy through competitions and peer-to-
peer presentations.
• Enter local and national oracy competitions such as
Poetry by Heart and the Schools’ Mace.

Moving forward together

• Create East Sussex Oracy Champions to establish
clear links between primary and secondary schools
to ensure consistency, provide staff training,
complete research.

• Complete long-term research: follow a cohort of
pupils and their oracy education from Year 5 to Year
8 to measure impact and reÞ ne next steps.
• Empower school leaders to value oracy for its own
sake: use oracy champions to train and empower
school leaders to give staff the ß exibility they need to
embrace and embed oracy in their practice in every
subject at every phase.

Further reading on oracy

Alexander, R. (2008). Towards Dialogic Teaching: Rethinking
Classroom Talk. Dialogos.

English Speaking Union Schools’ Mace. https://www.esu.org/
competitions/schools-mace/

Evans, R. & Jones, D. (2009). Metacognitive Approaches to
Developing Oracy: Developing Speaking and Listening with Young

Pupils Taylor & Francis Ltd. 12