Page 7 - The East Sussex Way
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on their learning and future life chances’ (OUP, 2020), the report
         emphasises the widening attainment gap in the context of Covid-19.


         Strengthening links between local primary and secondary schools

         should help to close the gap in vocabulary and raise curriculum
         expectations during transition, a time when pupils need to build
         friendships and articulate to adults when they are feeling vulnerable

         or uncertain. When young people struggle to express themselves
         effectively and eloquently, this can have a negative impact on their
         ‘mental health, their conÞ dence, their social skills, their ability to form
         relationships and engage in even very basic conversation’ (OUP,
         2021).



         For all these reasons, oracy is a vital tool which teachers must use
         to bridge the gap between primary and secondary language skills.

         Schools should therefore place oracy at the heart of their efforts to
         ensure a smooth transition, in order to support pupils emotionally
         during this key moment in their lives.


         ‘Reading and writing ß oat on a sea of talk.’ (Alexander, 2020)



         Effective oracy education involves pupils learning through talk,
         allowing them to deepen their understanding through dialogue

         with their teachers and peers (Alexander, 2020). Oracy is the ability
         to speak eloquently, to articulate ideas and thoughts, to inß uence
         through talking, to collaborate with peers and to express views
         conÞ dently and appropriately, as well as using talk to show sensitivity
         and respect to the views and ideas of others. It allows pupils to

         develop fundamental, life-long skills, including the ability to articulate
         ideas and thoughts, to inß uence, to collaborate and to express views
         conÞ dently and appropriately (APPG, 2021).



         There are two strands to oracy education:
               1.  Learning to talk.
               2.  Learning through talk.



         Learning to talk is the ‘development and application of a set of skills
         associated with effective communication’ (Menzies, 2016). Mercer
         adds that ‘oracy represents the set of talk skills that pupils should

         develop… and sums up that teachable set of competencies to
         do with spoken language’ (Mercer, 2016). It is clear that explicitly
         teaching the skills of speaking and listening should be included in the
         curriculum at every key stage.                                                                        2
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