Oracy at Parson Street: Oracy Overview

At Parson Street, we aim to equip our learners with the skills to talk and listen effectively to one another. Oracy gives every child the opportunity to find their voice; to articulate  their ideas, thoughts and feelings clearly and coherently and develops understanding in our communities. Effective communication helps every child to fulfil their potential and flourish to become lifelong learners, regardless of their background or barriers. 

Talking to learn – this is where children use oracy and discussion for knowledge acquisition. 

Learning to talk – this is where children are explicitly taught the skills for effective oracy (physical, linguistic, cognitive, social and emotional).  

Talking to demonstrate – this where children have the chance to demonstrate their oracy skills, for example through speeches or presentations.  

Oracy Expectations at Parson Street: 

• Children stand to speak and ‘demand’ respect from their peers. 
• All responses are given in full sentences. 
• Children track the speaker. 
• All children use talk tactic hand signals and sentence stems during discussions. 
• Discussion guidelines are collaboratively agreed as a class, displayed and regularly referred to. 

Please see the toolkit to see how we ensure progression of skills across the year groups: Oracy Toolkit