How can oracy power learning?
In a recent Oracy Across the Curriculum webinar, led by Jules Pottle from Let's Do Drama, educators came together to reflect on the role of talk in learning. While confidence levels varied, one message was clear: oracy is not an optional extra. It is fundamental to how children think, learn and succeed.
What Do We Mean by Oracy?
At its simplest level, oracy is the ability to speak well; to articulate ideas, to express yourself clearly, and to engage with others through talk.
Jules Pottle
This reminds us that oracy is about clarity, expression and interaction. It is not just performance or presentation skills. It includes discussion, explanation, questioning and collaborative thinking.
Crucially, Jules also described oracy as a thinking tool.
We call it dialogic talk in schools, where you have a half-formed idea, and you put it together with someone else's half-formed idea, and you discuss it to come to an answer. So, oracy is actually a thinking tool in that respect.
Jules Pottle
This concept of dialogic talk is powerful. When pupils combine emerging ideas, test reasoning aloud and build understanding together, they are not simply speaking - they are actively thinking. Talk becomes the bridge between confusion and clarity.
Why Oracy Matters
Strong spoken language skills underpin academic success across the curriculum. Fluency in speech supports writing fluency, deepens comprehension and enhances reasoning. When children can explain their thinking clearly, they are better equipped to organise that thinking on paper.
As discussed in the webinar, oracy does not just support writing - it strengthens it.
Beyond that, oracy prepares children for life. The ability to articulate ideas, listen actively and respond thoughtfully is essential in further education, employment and civic participation.
There is also an important equity dimension. Not all children arrive at school with the same language experiences. Classrooms therefore play a vital role in modelling rich vocabulary, complex sentence structures and purposeful dialogue. Structured opportunities for talk help ensure that every child develops the language of learning.
Oracy as a Thinking Tool Across Subjects
A key theme of Jules’ session was that oracy should not be confined to English lessons. It belongs in every subject.
- In maths, pupils can explain their reasoning and justify methods.
- In science, they can articulate hypotheses and evaluate evidence.
- In history and geography, they can debate perspectives and explore cause and consequence.
When pupils verbalise their thinking, learning deepens. Explaining an idea aloud often reveals whether it is truly understood. Dialogic exchanges allow misconceptions to surface and be reshaped collectively.
The Link Between Oracy and Drama
Drama and storytelling were highlighted as powerful vehicles for developing spoken language. Role-play allows children to inhabit ideas physically and verbally. Speaking “in role” often unlocks confidence and creativity, particularly for those who may feel hesitant in more formal contexts.
Storytelling strengthens language patterns and narrative fluency. Oral rehearsal before writing enables pupils to internalise vocabulary and sentence structures, creating a strong bridge between speech and written expression.
Building Oracy Through Deliberate Practice
Importantly, confident talk does not emerge by chance.
If we want children to become confident speakers, we have to give them structured opportunities to practise - it doesn’t happen by accident.
Jules Pottle
Planning for talking exercises must be intentional. Practical strategies include:
- Think–pair–share to ensure every child rehearses ideas before whole-class discussion
- Sentence stems such as “I agree because…” or “Another perspective might be…”
- Role-based discussion to structure group dialogue
- Oral rehearsal before writing to develop fluency and clarity
- Open-ended questioning that promotes reasoning rather than simple recall
These approaches build confidence gradually. The aim is not polished performance, but increasing clarity, coherence and confidence over time.
Creating a Culture of Confident Talk
Embedding oracy requires more than isolated strategies; it requires culture. Pupils need classrooms where it feels safe to experiment with language, refine ideas publicly and occasionally get things wrong.
As Jules’ webinar made clear, when oracy is valued, modelled and practised consistently, it becomes part of the fabric of learning. Teachers often find that as pupils’ confidence grows, their own confidence in leading dialogic classrooms grows too.
Ultimately, prioritising oracy gives children something powerful: a voice. Not just the ability to speak, but the ability to think aloud, to question, to persuade and to connect. In equipping pupils with strong spoken language skills, we equip them not only for academic success, but for meaningful participation in the world beyond the classroom.
Let's Do Drama is a resource bank of drama/oracy activities for teachers and other adults who work with children. Their mission is to transform learning into joyful, imaginative play. Through roleplay, storytelling, and creativity, children grow in confidence, curiosity, and understanding of the world around them.