The SecEd Podcast: How to teach oracy skills

This episode focuses on how we can teach oracy and speaking skills in the secondary school classroom, with lots of practical tips, ideas, resources and advice.

We discuss what oracy is – including the four strands of oracy skills – why oracy matters, the benefits of good oracy skills, what the national curriculum says about spoken language and student talk, and the impact we have seen on students' speaking skills since Covid (spoiler: 44% of secondary teachers say the pandemic has hit oracy skills negatively).

We look at how we can teach oracy in the classroom and via the curriculum, including practical ideas and activities for the explicit teaching of oracy. We ask what high expectations for classroom talk look like and hear examples of practice from two secondary schools.

We consider whole-school strategies, including creating a culture where students feel able to speak-up, cross-curriculum planning for oracy, how to ensure consistent approaches, staff CPD, the role of extra-curricular clubs, and much more.

And we ask how we can best assess and monitor our students' progress in terms of oracy.