Oracy
Vision
As a Voice 21 Oracy Centre of Excellence, oracy is at the centre of learning at Saltley Academy. Oracy is a priority at Saltley Academy because we believe that communication is the key to learning both within and beyond the classroom. We believe that it is our responsibility to encourage our young people to learn how to talk appropriately in a range of contexts so they can use this in their lives both inside and outside of school.
Through being a Voice 21 Oracy Centre of Excellence, we have opened new and exciting avenues of talk for our young people, and we are giving them regular opportunities to express themselves through oracy.
During their time at Saltley Academy, through the Voice 21 Oracy Framework, students will gain the knowledge and skills to improve and practise their: physical, linguistic, cognitive and social and emotional skills. Staff at Saltley Academy will provide regular and meaningful opportunities for oracy both within the classroom and beyond. Oracy will be used as a catalyst where students are given opportunities to collaborate and expand their learning through both presentational and exploratory talk.
In addition to oracy opportunities in classrooms, students will have the opportunity to engage in oracy activities on a whole-school level, which include:
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Form Time Podcasts
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Assemblies
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Debate Club
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Voice 21 Ambassadors
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Change Makers
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Reading Ambassadors
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Rights Respecting Ambassadors
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Well Being Leads
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Eco Council
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Student council
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Prefects
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Extra-curricular clubs
Aims: At Saltley Academy, Oracy will:
- Be at the centre of all teaching and learning opportunities.
- Be scaffolded to ensure all students are supported in their oracy.
- Raise the standards of oracy across the Academy.
- Empower staff and students to use language purposefully and efficiently in differing talk contexts.
- Raise the standards of reading and writing through oracy opportunities.
- Improve students’ confidence with communicating in order to narrow societal gaps and social inequity.
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Teach students the value of listening and the role this plays in oracy.
Key Oracy Resources for Pupils and Parents from Voice 21
Oracy Framework:
The Oracy Framework, devised by Voice 21 and Oracy Cambridge, provides a framework through which we can understand what constitutes good speaking and listening in different contexts. It breaks down the skills within oracy into four distinct but interlinked strands: physical, linguistic, cognitive and social & emotional.
Consensus Circle:
A consensus circle is a great resource for valuing everyone’s voice, encouraging reasoning skills and developing the skills necessary to reach a consensus.
Discussion Guidelines:
These Discussion Guidelines can be used to support high quality talk in the classroom whether in whole class dialogue, or in smaller groups.
Listening Ladder:
The Listening Ladder sets out the various listening skills and orders them in terms of complexity. It can be used to support students to reflect on their discussion and to set targets for which rung they want to reach.
Proof of Listening Poster:
This poster gives a reminder summary of what proof of listening looks like in the classroom and beyond.
Student Talk Tactics:
Student Talk Tactics are a set of talk moves that students can use to promote educationally productive talk in the classroom.
Teacher Talk Tactics:
Teacher Talk Tactics are used to encourage students to think strategically about their contributions to classroom dialogue, considering, for example, which tactic would develop a child’s thinking the most or move a discussion beyond a surface level exploration.
Groupings Poster:
Useful grouping suggestions which can be used in the classroom.
Choose your Protocol Poster:
Read our top tips to find out what to do if you’re chairing a discussion or teaching these skills to your students.
Top Tips for being a Chair Poster:
Read our top tips to find out what to do if you’re chairing a discussion or teaching these skills to your students.
