Developing a whole-school culture of oracy

PAUL BUTLER, TRUST LEAD PRACTITIONER, WASHWOOD HEATH MAT, UK. FORMERLY HEAD OF ENGLISH, NEW COLLEGE LEICESTER, UK Talk plays a vital role in both the academic and pastoral development of students. To ensure that students are ready for the complex, challenging and ever-changing life of the 21st century, they must be equipped with key knowledge and skills appropriate to the world – not just now but also in the future. Research conducted by Deloitte (2015) surveyed the FTSE top 100 companies, asking which skills would be most desired in 2030. Eight out of the top 12 skills had an oracy focus, whether speech recognition, oral expression or active listening. Therefore, an oracy-rich education can have a significant impact on life chances once students have left education.  As identified through Voice 21’s Oracy Benchmarks (2020), a school that effectively embeds a whole school culture of oracy places oracy at the heart of classroom practice, whilst also providing extra-curricular