Oracy as a curriculum priority: what it means for school resource planning

Why is oracy moving up the curriculum agenda?

For many school leaders, the growing focus on oracy will feel less like a new initiative and more like overdue recognition of something teachers have known for years. Pupils who can articulate their thinking, explain ideas clearly and engage confidently in discussion tend to perform better across the curriculum. They are often better equipped to reason, collaborate, solve problems and communicate their understanding.

What has changed is that spoken language is increasingly moving from a desirable classroom practice to a strategic curriculum priority. The Curriculum and Assessment Review has proposed the development of a national oracy framework, signalling that spoken language may play a more prominent role in future curriculum expectations. Alongside this, organisations such as Voice 21 and the University of Cambridge's oracy research continue to strengthen the evidence base linking communication skills with learning outcomes, inclusion and future success.

For curriculum leaders and senior leadership teams, the challenge is not simply understanding why oracy matters. It is understanding what effective implementation will require. Because if oracy becomes a more explicit expectation within the curriculum, schools will need to think carefully about how teaching, environments, resources and professional development work together to support it.

At GLS, conversations with schools increasingly reflect this reality. Curriculum priorities may start in policy documents, but successful implementation always happens in classrooms. For years, speaking and listening have been recognised as important but have often sat behind reading, writing and mathematics when curriculum priorities are discussed. The latest review suggests a shift in emphasis.

There is growing recognition that spoken language underpins success across almost every subject. Pupils use talk to explore ideas, test understanding, explain reasoning and engage with new concepts. Strong communication skills also support confidence, relationships, wellbeing and future employability. Importantly, oracy is not being positioned as an alternative to academic rigour. Instead, it is increasingly being viewed as one of the foundations that allows pupils to access challenging learning successfully. This means schools may need to think differently about how spoken language is developed and embedded across the curriculum.

For GLS, that conversation is less about a new initiative and more about implementation. Schools already understand the importance of communication. The challenge is ensuring every classroom has the conditions needed to develop it consistently.

Why should school leaders think about resource planning now?

When curriculum reform is discussed, attention often focuses on content, assessment and teaching approaches. Resources tend to be considered later. However, successful implementation rarely depends on curriculum documents alone. Schools that implement change effectively usually start by asking practical questions:

• Do teachers have what they need?
• Do learning environments support the intended approach?
• Are resources aligned to curriculum goals?
• Can implementation be sustained over time?

This is something GLS sees repeatedly when supporting schools through curriculum changes and evolving educational priorities. Leaders rarely struggle with understanding the vision. The challenge is turning that vision into everyday classroom practice. If oracy becomes a stronger curriculum expectation, these questions become increasingly important.

This does not mean schools need to make significant purchases immediately. In fact, many schools will discover that the first step is understanding how existing resources, learning spaces and teaching routines support spoken language development before considering any additional investment. The strongest schools are often the ones that prepare early rather than react later.

What does an oracy-rich school actually look like?

An oracy-rich school is not simply a school where pupils talk more. Purposeful talk is the key distinction. Effective oracy provision creates opportunities for pupils to:

• Explain their thinking
• Justify opinions
• Build on others' ideas
• Challenge respectfully
• Listen actively
• Present confidently
• Use subject-specific vocabulary accurately

Importantly, these opportunities exist across subjects rather than being confined to English lessons. In mathematics, pupils explain reasoning. In science, they discuss investigations. In history, they debate interpretations. In geography, they justify conclusions. Oracy becomes part of how learning happens rather than an isolated activity.

For curriculum leaders, this means progression becomes crucial. Pupils need opportunities to develop increasingly sophisticated communication skills as they move through the school. That progression also relies on consistency. Pupils should encounter similar expectations around discussion, listening and communication regardless of classroom, year group or subject area.

How do learning environments influence oracy?

One aspect of implementation that is often overlooked is the physical learning environment. Classrooms send messages about how learning is expected to happen. If discussion, collaboration and communication are important, environments need to support them. This does not require expensive refurbishment projects. Often, relatively simple considerations make the biggest difference:

• Flexible seating arrangements
• Spaces for paired discussion
• Group learning areas
• Presentation opportunities
• Vocabulary-rich displays
• Visual discussion prompts

The goal is not to redesign classrooms entirely. It is to ensure environments help teachers facilitate purposeful talk rather than working against it. For many schools, this becomes a resource planning conversation. GLS works with schools every day that are trying to maximise existing spaces, making classrooms work harder without creating unnecessary cost or complexity. Often, small changes to layout, organisation and access to resources can have a greater impact than major investment projects.

What resources support effective oracy?

One of the most common mistakes schools make is assuming that technology is the starting point. In reality, many of the most effective oracy resources are remarkably simple. Examples include:

• Discussion prompts
• Question stems
• Vocabulary resources
• Storytelling materials
• Debate frameworks
• Collaborative learning tools
• Visual stimulus resources
• Structured discussion activities

The purpose of these resources is not to create standalone speaking lessons. Instead, they help teachers embed purposeful talk into existing curriculum content. Schools should therefore think less about "oracy resources" and more about whether their existing resources genuinely encourage discussion, reasoning and communication.

One lesson from previous curriculum changes, and one GLS regularly hears from school leaders, is that implementation rarely succeeds because schools purchase large volumes of new materials. More often, success comes from ensuring teachers have reliable, accessible resources that fit naturally into everyday classroom practice. The strongest resource strategies focus on helping teachers deliver curriculum priorities confidently rather than creating additional workload.

Why is consistency so important?

One lesson from previous curriculum developments is that isolated excellence is rarely enough. A handful of highly effective classrooms will not create whole-school impact. Successful implementation depends on consistency. Pupils should encounter similar expectations around communication, discussion and active listening regardless of year group or subject. That consistency often depends on shared resources, common approaches and agreed routines.

For leaders, this creates an important planning consideration. Resource decisions should support whole-school implementation rather than leaving individual teachers to create systems independently. Where schools establish consistent approaches, teachers spend less time creating materials from scratch and more time focusing on high-quality classroom interaction. From a GLS perspective, consistency is often where schools unlock the greatest value. Not only financially, but educationally too. When resources, expectations and classroom approaches align, implementation becomes significantly easier to sustain.

What role does professional development play?

No resource can replace confident teaching. As oracy becomes more prominent, schools may need to consider how professional development supports implementation. Questions leaders might explore include:

• Do staff feel confident facilitating discussion?
• Are teachers explicitly teaching communication skills?
• Is vocabulary development embedded consistently?
• Do staff share a common understanding of oracy?

Professional development does not necessarily need to be extensive. However, teachers benefit from clarity around expectations and practical examples of effective practice. The most successful implementation strategies usually combine professional learning with appropriate resources and classroom support. As GLS has seen across numerous curriculum initiatives, successful implementation happens when professional development, resources and classroom practice reinforce one another. Training in isolation rarely delivers lasting change.

How does oracy connect to inclusion?

One reason oracy is gaining momentum is its potential to support a broader range of learners. Many pupils can express understanding verbally before they are able to demonstrate it confidently through writing. Structured discussion can help pupils:

• Develop vocabulary
• Build confidence
• Clarify understanding
• Rehearse ideas
• Participate more fully in learning

However, inclusion cannot be taken for granted. Schools need to consider how pupils with speech, language and communication needs are supported within increasingly talk-rich classrooms. This requires careful planning, appropriate scaffolding and thoughtful resource selection. The strongest schools will see inclusion and oracy as complementary priorities rather than separate agendas. This often influences resource planning too, as leaders increasingly look for materials and classroom approaches that support communication across a broad range of learner needs rather than requiring separate solutions for different groups.

Why should curriculum leaders view oracy as a strategic issue?

The most important implication of the current review is that oracy is unlikely to remain solely a classroom-level consideration. If spoken language becomes more prominent within future curriculum expectations, implementation will require leadership attention. Leaders may need to consider:

• Curriculum design: Where are opportunities for purposeful talk built into learning?
• Resource planning: Do current resources actively support communication and discussion?
• Learning environments: Do classrooms enable collaborative learning?
• Professional development: Are teachers equipped to deliver high-quality oracy provision?
• Consistency: Is there a shared approach across the school?

These are leadership questions as much as teaching questions. They also demonstrate why oracy should not be viewed as a future problem to solve once policy changes arrive. Schools that begin evaluating their readiness now are likely to find implementation significantly easier later.

Planning for an oracy-rich future

The schools that respond most effectively to the growing focus on oracy are unlikely to be the ones that invest the most. They will be the ones that think most carefully about how curriculum, teaching, resources and learning environments work together. Oracy is not simply about helping pupils speak more. It is about helping them think more clearly, learn more deeply and participate more confidently.

For curriculum leaders, the challenge is not simply preparing for a potential national oracy framework. It is ensuring that classrooms, resources, staff development and curriculum planning all work together to support high-quality spoken language. Schools that start thinking about those connections now are likely to be in a much stronger position when future curriculum expectations become clearer.

GLS believes that successful curriculum implementation is built on readiness. Whether schools are responding to changes in oracy, inclusion, reading or wider curriculum priorities, teachers need practical resources, supportive environments and systems that enable consistent delivery. Because curriculum ambition only becomes reality when teachers have the support, resources and confidence to bring it to life every day.