Oracy Curriculum: Speaking and Listening at Mount Stewart

At Mount Stewart Federation, Oracy is at the heart of our curriculum. We believe that the ability to communicate effectively is a fundamental life skill, empowering pupils to express themselves with confidence, clarity, and respect. Guided by the Voice 21 Oracy Framework, we provide purposeful opportunities for talk across all subjects to deepen understanding, build relationships, and strengthen thinking. Our approach ensures that all teachers have a strong sense of self-efficacy in teaching oracy, as research shows that confident teaching directly improves pupils’ confidence and ability to articulate their ideas effectively. Through our inclusive, dynamic, and reflective practice, every pupil at Mount Stewart becomes a confident speaker, active listener, and thoughtful communicator, prepared for success in secondary education and beyond.

Approach and Planning

At Mount Stewart Federation, Oracy is integrated across all areas of the curriculum, supporting the progressive development of communication skills and confidence year on year.

• Oracy is embedded as a key life skill, integral to all learning.
• The Voice 21 Oracy Framework underpins our progression model, ensuring balance across the four strands: physical, linguistic, cognitive, and social/emotional.
• Teachers plan for purposeful talk opportunities in every subject to support reasoning, reflection, and collaboration.
• The curriculum is designed to build transferable communication skills that prepare pupils for the demands of future education and everyday life.

Teaching Strategies

Teachers at Mount Stewart employ a wide range of strategies to foster confident, articulate speakers through engaging, structured talk opportunities.

• Use of dialogic teaching and structured talk routines (e.g., think-pair-share, debate, discussion circles).
• Emphasis on teacher modelling of high-quality spoken language and active listening.
• Integration of Oracy-rich activities such as presentations, role play, and performance to enhance engagement and confidence.
• Promotion of a positive classroom talk culture where every child’s voice is valued and respected.
• Development of teacher self-efficacy through professional development and shared reflective practice.

Curriculum Intent

Oracy at Mount Stewart, aims to ensure that every pupil can speak and listen effectively, with confidence, fluency, and understanding, across all contexts.

• To develop articulate, thoughtful communicators who can express ideas clearly and listen actively.
• To make oracy a transferable skill applied across all curriculum subjects and real-life situations.
• To promote confidence, empathy, and respect through effective communication.
• To empower teachers to deliver high-quality oracy teaching that nurtures pupil voice and participation.

Implementation

Implementation is achieved through daily opportunities for structured talk, explicit teaching of oracy skills, and consistent application across all subjects.

• Daily integration of oracy in lessons through questioning, discussion, and reflection.
• Use of Voice 21 Talk Tactics and frameworks to support progression and consistency.
• Regular opportunities for formal and informal speaking, such as assemblies, performances, and debates.
• Professional development for teachers to strengthen confidence and expertise in oracy pedagogy.
• High expectations for all pupils to engage meaningfully in talk, supported by clear routines and scaffolds.

Inclusivity and Support

Mount Stewart Federation ensures all pupils, including those with additional needs, have equal access to high-quality oracy opportunities.

• Tailored scaffolds and strategies to support pupils with speech, language, and communication needs.
• Inclusive talk structures that ensure participation from all learners.
• Targeted interventions and additional support for pupils requiring further development in communication skills.
• Ongoing assessment and adaptive planning to ensure every pupil can achieve success in spoken language.

Impact

The impact of our oracy curriculum is reflected in pupils’ confidence, fluency, and ability to express ideas clearly and respectfully.

• Regular formative assessments of speaking and listening skills using the Voice 21 Oracy Framework.
• Teacher observations, peer feedback, and pupil self-assessment used to measure progress.
• Increased pupil confidence and participation in discussions, performances, and collaborative tasks.
• Evidence of strong oracy underpinning improvements in writing, reasoning, and overall academic attainment.

When students leave Mount Stewart, they will:

• Be confident, articulate communicators, able to express ideas clearly and respectfully in a range of contexts.
• Demonstrate active listening and thoughtful questioning to support learning and collaboration.
• Possess the skills to debate, discuss, and present effectively across subjects and beyond school.
• Be empowered by a strong sense of voice and self-belief, prepared for the demands of secondary education and life beyond Mount Stewart.