New report launched: Verbo joins widespread calls to reform oracy
News & Views . 17 October 2024
The first major report from the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education was released in early October, with many educators and SEND leads hoping it will help to open the door for lasting educational change.
Having contributed to the call for evidence, we were encouraged by the recommendations of the We need to talk report, which calls for a raft of urgent, fundamental shifts in the way speech and listening skills are taught to children. Central to this is the belief that oracy should become the “fourth ‘R’” alongside reading, writing and arithmetic, with training and development for all teachers built into every subject, not just for those who teach English Language.
Hannah Cook, a Speech and Language Therapist (SaLT) at Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and one of Verbo’s specialist SaLT team, explained: “A key part of our mission is to help every child thrive with their speech, language and communication and we were pleased to be one of a number of organisations submitting its views on these issues to the Commission earlier this year. It’s encouraging to see such widespread recognition of the vital communication skills needed for all children and young people and their wide-reaching impacts on academic attainment, employment prospects and emotional wellbeing.”
We strongly agree with the report’s recommendation that oracy “should be an entitlement in every child’s education to prepare them as future citizens”, from Early Years through to Post-16, and, as Commission Chair, Geoff Barton said, “it’s time to do more than talk about great oracy. On behalf of the nation’s children and young people—whatever their background—we think it’s time to make it happen.”
Hannah added: “A huge part of the drive to equip every child, whatever their age and stage, is to close the gaps currently faced by many learners with SLCN and/or SEMH and behavioural difficulties. We are glad to see the repeated insistence in this report that all educators should be able to access full support and training to reach every learner. Without this approach the existing gaps in opportunities risk widening further.
“While the wider sector takes time to digest the report’s findings, we hope other organisations will join us in recognising that a fully inclusive approach to any transition includes an acknowledgement that oracy covers all forms of communication, including sign language, visual communication, and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). All of these are significant factors in fostering connections between people throughout life.
“All children and young people deserve to learn how to express themselves fully – and all of them deserve the chance to be heard.”