Oracy to have equal status with reading and writing

Pupils’ ability to articulate themselves verbally will be given “equal status” to reading and writing as part of the revised curriculum, the education secretary has announced.

Lucy Powell, spoke at the Confederation of School Trusts’ (CST) annual conference in Birmingham to outline her plans. She believes that the ability to articulate oneself “fluently and confidently” through spoken language (oracy) is key to success in work and life. She has pledged to make spoken language a “core part” of the refreshed curriculum and assessment system for schools, up to and including GCSEs.

The English language GCSE already has an “endorsed” component covering spoken language that is reported as a separate grade and although compulsory, it does not contribute to the result of the qualification.

The education secretary believes that “Practical skills are disappearing from practical subjects, just when the world demands the opposite. That isn’t politics or ideology; it’s a fact.”