While we focus heavily on early reading, and teaching children to read and write, there’s another crucial skill that can transform how pupils learn: oracy.
The Missing Foundation
If you ask a Year 2 child to write about their weekend, you might get three hesitant sentences. So, why not ask them to tell you about it? If you do, you’ll see their eyes light up as vivid details pour out. They’re not just recounting events, they’re practising complex language structures and building confidence.
This isn’t a coincidence; speaking comes naturally before writing. So, when we harness this in our lessons, we create a pathway for deeper learning across every subject.
Children with strong oracy skills often achieve better academically in literacy and numeracy, since they’re more confident in discussions, better at problem-solving, and skilled at articulating their thinking. But most importantly, these literacy activities are developing communication skills for life.
Every Child Can Shine
You’ll likely recognise that child who struggles to write but bursts with ideas when speaking. For these pupils, oracy isn’t just helpful, it’s essential. When we create speaking opportunities, we give every child a way to shine, regardless of writing ability.
Take Emma, a Year 3 pupil who found writing overwhelming but flourished through daily story circles. Her confidence gradually grew, and this confidence was then transferred to her written work. She wasn’t just learning to communicate, she was discovering her voice.
When children feel heard and valued for their spoken contributions, they develop confidence in taking risks with learning. They ask questions, share ideas, and engage more deeply with challenging concepts.
Simple Strategies That Work
Teaching oracy in primary schools doesn’t require special equipment or extensive planning, it’s often just a shift in approach:
Start with storytelling: children are natural storytellers. Whether they’re explaining maths problems, describing science experiments, or sharing historical facts, encourage pupils to tell rather than just write. Create regular opportunities for oral sharing before written work.
Use talk partners: before written tasks, give children time to discuss ideas with a partner. This helps them organise thoughts, hear different perspectives, and build confidence. With such collaborative and communicative support, written work quality improves dramatically.
Embrace drama and role-play: transform history lessons by having children step into character. Bring science concepts to life through dramatic demonstrations. When pupils embody learning, they remember and understand it better.
Build in reflection: after activities, ask children to discuss what they learned, what challenged them, and what they’d do differently. This develops metacognitive awareness.
The Academic Impact
When children regularly articulate their thoughts, academic performance improves. They become better at organising ideas, using precise vocabulary, and tackling complex problems. The child who explains mathematical reasoning aloud will eventually write clear and logical explanations.
Oracy in the classroom develops critical thinking. When pupils must explain reasoning to others, they examine their thought processes, identify gaps, and strengthen arguments. These skills transfer directly to written work.
Building the Culture
Creating an oracy-rich classroom starts with small changes. Establish listening rules, teach children to build on others’ ideas, and model thoughtful speaking. Celebrate eloquent explanations as enthusiastically as neat handwriting.
Some children need more support. Provide sentence starters, thinking time, and small group practice before whole-class sharing. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s participation and growth.
Transform Your Classroom This Term
As the term ends, inject fresh energy through storytelling and performance. The Children’s Story Competition 2025, themed “Courage,” can be the perfect way to combine literacy and oracy with creative writing.
Instead of simply asking children to write stories, let them develop ideas through speaking first. Have them tell tales of courage to classmates, refine narratives through discussion, then perform final stories to the class. This approach improves writing while building confidence and communication skills.
The competition runs until 29th September 2025, with prizes including book tokens of up to £100 and personalised feedback from award-winning author Anne Fine. Here.Â
Click the link below to download your free learning resource and discover how bringing stories to life through oracy can transform your classroom before the summer break.
