Oracy

Oracy

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)

Oracy Framework

Oracy Progression Map

At Seaton Academy, we believe spoken language to be fundamental to the development and achievements of our children. Research has highlighted ‘the strong link between children’s early language and their future academic achievement’ (Snowling & Hulme, 2011). We strive as a school to elevate spoken language to provide solid foundations for reading and writing.

As well as having a positive impact on academic outcomes, focusing on language also helps children: express their needs and wants; build strong and secure relationships; and develop their imagination.

We are committed to building and embedding a culture of oracy. Purposeful talk is used to drive learning, which has been planned, designed, modelled, scaffolded and structured to enable all learners to develop skills needed to communicate effectively. We strive to develop oracy in the curriculum, playtimes, lunchtimes and extra-curricular activities; encompassing the ethos of our school.  

Little Wandle Foundations for Language

Foundations for Language

At Seaton Academy, we are trained in Little Wandle Foundations for Language. This has been designed to run alongside Little Wandle Foundations for Phonics, as part of the wider Communication and Language and Literacy provision. This ensures staff are skilled at using high-quality interactions to develop children’s language in the EYFS.

Neuroscience has shown us that the ‘growth of children’s language is linked to the quality of back-and-forth interactions’ they have with their caregivers (Romeo et al.,2018). These interactions form the foundations for language and cognitive development. Within these crutial interactions, children learn best when they are explicitly taught vocabulary and are provided with a good model of grammar.

Through using this approach, our EYFS children will learn:

• new vocabulary
• appropriate grammatical structures
• turn-taking in conversations
• to become confident communicators

These skills are aligned with the communication and language focus outlined in Development Matters.

Whole School Oracy Strategies 

To support our teaching of oracy, we have developed some school wide strategies: 

High-qualitly modelling of language, demonstrated by all adults in school using a bank of 'Teacher Talk Tactics'.

All classes will agree their 'Discussion Guidelines' which set out how everyone in the class (including the adults) will work together to ensure that everyone has a voice and their their contributions are valued. 

Children are encouraged to use 'Talk Tactics' to support them in developing their oracy skills across the curriculum. We believe that it is very important for children to understand their role in discussion and how to use vocabulary to communicate effectively. 

Talk Tactics

Oracy in Maths

In the Maths classroom, children are given the opportunity to articulate their mathematical thinking and reasoning through our NCETM Mastering Number curriculum. Through discussion, children develop deeper understanding of the maths they are learning. Oracy is important in the maths classroom, as it gives our children the change to explore and verbalise their ideas, and develop their thinking.

Maths talk takes practise, and the expectation needs to be built over time.

Teachers model technical and precise mathematical vocabulary. At Seaton Academy we introduce this very explicitly to our children, through the NCETM planned sequence of work. This allows our children to effectively develop their mathematical talk. We believe this to be a powerful way to demonstrate high expectations.

At Seaton Academy, repetition is used to help our children engage better with more independent maths talk, by modelling and giving them the tools they need to begin to construct their own sentences. Setting the expectation of full-sentence answers, even short, closed questions, develops the skills and confidence needed to respond orally to more complex mathematical problems. Stem sentences are used consistently to structure talk, allowing children to say their own answers linked to the mathematical teaching. The complexity is gradually increased allowing the children to build their communication skills.