Temple Hill Primary Academy is a Voice 21 School. Voice 21 are an educational charity who promote the use of Oracy to improve outcomes for all children.

What is Oracy?

Oracy is the ability to express ideas, develop understanding, and engage with others through spoken language. It involves learning to talk effectively and learning through talk. At Temple Hill Primary Academy, we believe that strong oracy skills are fundamental, both for academic achievement and for success in later life. We are committed to teaching our children how to communicate clearly, listen actively, and engage confidently in a range of situations.

Why Do We Prioritise Oracy?

We recognise that communication skills are essential for all learning and are the foundation for building relationships, understanding concepts, and engaging with the wider world. Many children begin school with varying levels of confidence and experience in speaking and listening. By prioritising oracy, we aim to ensure that every child at Temple Hill develops the skills to articulate their ideas, ask thoughtful questions, and respond to others respectfully.

Oracy is embedded in our School Improvement Plan and is a driving force behind our curriculum. We believe that purposeful talk in the classroom supports learning across all subjects.

Our Oracy Approach

At Temple Hill, oracy is woven into every aspect of school life:

• Classroom Discussions: Each class agrees on discussion guidelines, which grow in complexity from Reception to Year 6, setting clear expectations for respectful and effective talk.
• Student Talk Tactics: Children are explicitly taught sentence stems and strategies to structure their contributions during discussions.
• Showcase Opportunities: Pupils take part in projects such as debates, presentations, guided tours, or drama performances, providing real audiences for their speaking skills.
• Visual Tools: We use resources like talk tokens and building blocks to help children visualise and reflect on their participation in discussions.
• Group Work: Many lessons include collaborative tasks, where children must communicate and negotiate to achieve shared outcomes.

Our Goals for Every Child

At Temple Hill, we want all children to:

• Speak fluently and clearly to any audience
• Explore and develop ideas through talk
• Listen actively and respond thoughtfully
• Use gestures and non-verbal cues to enhance communication
• Adapt their speech to suit different contexts and audiences, using Standard English where appropriate
• Value and express their own opinions and appreciate those of others
• Ask questions and build reasoned arguments
• Know that their voice is valued.

The Impact of Oracy at Temple Hill

Since launching our oracy project, we have seen children grow in confidence and develop their ability to speak in full sentences, explain their thinking, and adapt their language for different audiences. We are proud to be a leading school for oracy, and we welcome visitors to see our practice in action and share our approaches with other schools