Oracy Vision 2025/26
Our Approach to Teaching Oracy
Oracy is a central part of our curriculum and underpins pupils’ learning across all subjects. At St Catharine’s, we use the Voice 21 framework to ensure a consistent, high-quality approach to the teaching of speaking and listening.
Lessons are structured to provide pupils with regular opportunities to talk, present, discuss and reflect. Teachers explicitly model and teach the key strands of oracy, including physical, linguistic, cognitive and social and emotional skills. Each class follows shared Voice 21 discussion guidelines, enabling pupils to engage in purposeful, respectful and structured talk.
Oracy is embedded across the curriculum, with opportunities for pupils to explain their thinking, justify ideas and engage in collaborative learning. This reflects current research highlighting the importance of high-quality talk in supporting understanding, vocabulary development and long-term learning.
Pupils are given meaningful opportunities to develop their spoken communication through performance and real-life contexts. These include taking part in school-based events such as parliament elections, MP meetings and collective worship, as well as external opportunities including mock trial competitions in Gloucestershire and the Gloucestershire “Look Who’s Talking” initiative.
Our Core Aim for Pupils
Our core aim is for pupils to become confident, articulate and thoughtful communicators.
By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils will be able to express their ideas clearly, listen and respond effectively, and adapt their language for different audiences and purposes. They will demonstrate confidence when speaking in a range of contexts, from classroom discussion to formal presentations.
We aim for pupils to leave St Catharine’s with the communication skills needed to succeed in their education and beyond, able to use their voice with confidence, respect and purpose.
