The One Education Oracy Award: Making a Difference Through Effective Talk 

Being a confident communicator is so important. However, concerns are rising about the decline in students’ ability to communicate effectively. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing amounts of time spent online, and the prevalence of more passive classroom learning are all having a detrimental impact. Indeed, the National Literacy Trust (2019) found that “Some pupils in inner-city classes contribute on average just four words per lesson.” Research has also identified a decline in language and communication skills for children starting school, widening the learning gap for pupils before they even begin formal schooling.  

The Oracy Education Commission has called for oracy to be at the heart of the new curriculum and we wholeheartedly agree. Oracy is the key to not just developing effective communicators but also to deepening learning through the dialogic classroom.  

“Children with good communication skills are four times more likely to get five A*-Cs (9-5s) at GCSE.” 

Better Communication Research Programme 

Moreover, there is a strong need to develop understanding of the diversity of talk so our pupils can master its full application. Developing effective oracy practice in schools is vital to create critical thinkers, communicators, and learners who actively engage and question across a range of contexts. So, what can we do to support this? 

The One Education Oracy Award
A model of best practice for schools

This term we are thrilled to launch our One Education Oracy Award. Building on the legacy of our Reading Award, the new Oracy Award is an oracy quality standard for schools which showcases their commitment to high-quality oracy being central to their curriculum. Whether you want to improve your oracy offer or celebrate your achievements, the One Education Oracy Award offers a straightforward process designed to support your individual needs.  

At the heart of the Oracy Award  is our criteria document which guides schools to develop their oracy provision. Working in partnership with schools and based on oracy research and best practice, we have created the Oracy Award criteria to fit the range of school settings.  

Our approach is split into three areas:  

• Learning to Talk – the acquisition and development of children’s speaking, listening and communication skills. 

• Talking to Learn – the use of talk and dialogue to foster and deepen children’s learning 

• Learning about Talk – building knowledge and understanding of talk and communication in its many contexts 

These three elements of reading are broken down into key objectives, making next steps clear to schools completing the award. A sample of the accreditation criteria can be downloaded here. 

Why choose the One Education Oracy Award?

We know that Oracy is a life skill which needs effective development if students are going to be proficient in the skills needed to function in their later lives. The One Education Oracy Award supports school to look critically at their oracy provision, celebrating their achievements and providing support to improve where needed. With access to amazing resources, specialist consultants providing advice and CPD opportunities, the Oracy Award is a truly supportive approach to continuous improvement. Click here to download a free sample resource pack. 

By completing the Oracy Award, you are showing the world that your school values the importance of oracy and is working hard to ensure all children have access to excellent oracy provision. 

What does an Oracy Award journey look like?

Once their subscription starts, schools can access the award criteria and resources immediately, along with support from their Oracy Award consultant. We suggest that all schools begin by evaluating their current practice against the criteria and initial assessment to identify strengths and next steps, and then choose which level of the Oracy Award to work towards: 

• Bronze – good provision is evident in oracy across the establishment. 

• Silver – excellent provision is in place across all strands of oracy provision 

• Gold – excellent provision is embedded and supports pupils to excel in all areas of oracy. 

Throughout the year, schools have access to their dedicated Oracy Award consultant. Schools can guide their own development, or choose to also purchase bespoke in-school support from our Oracy specialists and Speech & Language Therapists. Our consultants are experts in their field and can offer targeted guidance and training to suit your needs across the subject.  

Examples of Oracy Award support sessions include:  

• Auditing the current curriculum, identifying strengths and next steps. 

• The development of an oracy action plan with bespoke talk rules and symbols. 

• Supporting whole-school long-term planning and curriculum mapping. 

• Providing CPD on the teaching of oracy strategies, dialogic talk and talk tactics. 

At the end of the year, schools upload their final assessment and evidence to our secure online review hub, where the school’s dedicated Oracy Award consultant evaluates the evidence provided against the award criteria, and processes the award. On completion, schools receive a personalised plaque, logo and letterhead to use that celebrates their achievements. Oracy Award accreditation lasts for three years, with schools being able to renew their accreditation using a streamlined quality assurance process, or work towards a higher level of the award when they are ready to move on with their provision. 

What do our schools say?

Queensgate Primary School, Stockport  

Queensgate Primary began their focused oracy development in the effective teaching of vocabulary across the school to enable pupils to access the language they required to talk across the disciplines. A further focus on developing quality adult interactions in the Early Years and using discussion stems in Key Stage 2 have focused the effectiveness of talk for learning. The school offers a wealth of oracy experiences to pupils as they progress through the school, with opportunities to communicate with different audiences for a range of purposes. Following their One Education support, curriculum plans now include oracy-based outcomes for sequences of learning which are developed by subject leaders through their own developed knowledge of oracy across the curriculum, established through our oracy resources and the focused curriculum leadership in the school. Furthermore, the staff are working in peer partnerships focused on developing oracy best practice. They hope to see the development of this collaborative work as it progresses and further staff CPD and One Education support is implemented. 

“Working with our consultant proved invaluable. They gave us valuable support to identify where the school was at with regards to Oracy. The identification of next steps with clear examples of how to put these into action was extremely useful and I still refer back to the audit when implementing these changes to our approach. The reference documents and reading materials to support our further work have also been hugely beneficial. “ 

Helen Lee, Deputy Headteacher, 
Queensgate Primary School, Stockport. 

Next steps

In many parts of the country, over 50 per cent of students start school lacking vital oracy skills.

The Communication Trust

With so many concerning oracy statistics and the updated curriculum framework expected to profile oracy as key pillar of learning, it is clearly of vital importance that oracy becomes top of our agenda.  

Please visit our Oracy Award page to access free resources and find out more about the award.  

We would be happy to supply you with further information about the Oracy Award, the support we offer and the benefits that a focus on oracy will bring to your pupils. Please fill in the enquiry form below or contact our Education Consultant, Alice Pepper Alice.Pepper@oneeducation.co.uk to find out more.