At Northfield Manor Academy, Oracy not only underpins all aspects of teaching and learning but of all school life. This is because effective development of language and communication significantly impacts on many areas that help our pupils to become the best they can be both academically and personally.  

Oracy begins in Reception and is developed step by step as children move through school. Oracy skills are broken down into 4 strands which make up the Oracy framework. 

Teachers use a range of strategies and approaches to explicitly teach and practice oracy skills which are built upon in each year group. This can be seen in our Oracy progression document – link here.

What does Oracy look like in the classroom?

Some Oracy strategies and approaches are used in all lessons, such as discussion guides, talk tactics and sentence stems. They teach and support children how to communicate effectively and respectfully.

Other strategies are selected and planned within the learning sequence to elevate learning and allow children to develop a deeper understanding.

Subject specific talk approaches are used to develop pupils ability to expertly articulate their understanding in different subjects resulting in children talking like a scientist or artist.

Have a look at an example of how Oracy activities are planned into History – link here.

• Our vision for Oracy is to ensure that every child is able to use their voice to express themselves effectively in order to be their best, both academically and beyond the classroom. You can see our vision cards below…

We got to the finals of the national debate mate competition for the past 2 years. We got to debate with schools from around the country at the houses of parliament and finished 2nd last year!

We also compete in an annual poetry slam with schools in Birmingham and perform at the hippodrome in which we also came 2nd!

If you would like any more information about how we teach Oracy, please contact the office: enquiry@northfieldmanoracademy.org.uk