8 October 2024
Today the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England has published its final report, We Need to Talk. The Commission is calling for oracy to be recognised as the fourth “R” of education – with equal status to reading, writing and arithmetic.
The report acknowledges that the definition of oracy should recognise other forms of communication which children and young people use to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others to avoid excluding children who communicate through means other than spoken language.
The report’s recommendations include:
- Investing in early language to reduce language inequities at the earliest opportunity
- Requiring teacher training and development to include understanding of Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) and strategies to support children with these needs throughout their education.
Responding to the report, RCSLT CEO Steve Jamieson said:
“We support the recommendations in this report, which underscores the critical importance of communication skills for children and young people. It’s encouraging that the Oracy Education Commission emphasises the need for inclusive oracy education for all pupils, including those who communicate differently. We urge the government to integrate oracy into teacher training and development, with a focus on Speech, Language, and Communication Needs (SLCN) and strategies to support these children throughout their education.”
Background
The RCSLT was pleased to work with the Commission and Speech and Language UK to organise a round table on the topic of making oracy education inclusive. The themes explored in the roundtable were published by the Commission as a paper, “How can oracy be inclusive of children and young people with communication needs and differences?” in their Speaking Volumes collection. An edited version of the paper was published in Schools Week.
