Intent

At Great Waltham C of E Primary School, we recognise that spoken language underpins all learning, thinking and social development. We are committed to ensuring that every pupil becomes an articulate speaker and a thoughtful, respectful listener. We aim to equip our children with the communication skills they need to succeed academically, socially and in later life.

Oracy is a fundamental component of our wider literacy approach and is closely aligned with our Ready Steady Write curriculum. We recognise that high-quality talk is essential for effective writing; therefore, pupils are given structured opportunities to speak, rehearse, and refine their ideas before writing. This ensures pupils develop vocabulary, sentence structure and clarity of thought, enabling them to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

Our oracy curriculum is designed to:

Develop pupils’ confidence, fluency and clarity in spoken language

Promote active listening, respect and empathy

Support pupils to organise, articulate and justify their thoughts

Strengthen the link between spoken language and writing through our Ready Steady Write approach

Ensure equity of opportunity so that all pupils, including those with additional needs, can access and succeed in learning through talk

Implementation

Oracy is prioritised across all aspects of school life and is both explicitly taught and implicitly developed through everyday interactions.

We achieve this through:

High-Quality Classroom Practice

Teachers model high-quality spoken language and ambitious vocabulary.

Structured talk strategies are used (e.g. talk partners, sentence stems, questioning techniques).

Pupils regularly rehearse ideas orally before writing to strengthen their composition.

A Language-Rich Environment

Classrooms promote discussion, interaction and vocabulary development.

The hidden curriculum (routines, expectations and interactions) reinforces effective communication.

Adults consistently model respectful speaking and listening

Wider Opportunities for Oracy Development

Collective worship, performances and pupil leadership opportunities

Playtimes and lunchtimes that encourage social communication

Extra-curricular activities that promote collaboration and expression

Inclusive Practice

Targeted interventions support pupils with speech, language and communication needs.

Scaffolds such as visual prompts and sentence starters enable all pupils to participate.

Talk is used as a key tool to support understanding across the curriculum.

Impact

As a result of our strong focus on oracy:

Pupils are confident, articulate speakers who communicate clearly and effectively.

Children confidently explain their thinking and justify their ideas.

Pupils’ spoken language strengthens the quality of their writing across the curriculum.

Pupils leave Great Waltham as confident communicators, well prepared for the next stage of education and life.