Concern over school oracy recommendations

Image

A new report recommends that schools in England prioritise verbal communication, whilst taking on board our concerns for children who stammer.

The report 'We Need To Talk' from the Oracy Commission, hosted by education charity Voice 21, has suggested that teaching children 'oracy' is just as important as teaching other key skills like reading, writing and arithmetic. Oracy is the concept of being able to verbally articulate ideas and communicate clearly.

It argues that verbal communication skills should be at the heart of the curriculum in all schools in England so that children are equipped to overcome hurdles later in life.

What does oracy involve?  

Schools prioritising oracy focus on how a child articulates themselves. Teachers have open discussions in class, with each student being asked to explain their thoughts and ideas in front of others. For this, they are given skills and tactics to help develop their verbal skills.

Concerns 

Here at STAMMA we gave our input to the Oracy Commission, highlighting our concern that a focus on oracy could raise a particular risk for children who stammer. Whilst recognising its potential to benefit students through developing confident, verbal communication skills, in our submission we argued that it would only work in environments where stammered speech is valued just as much as fluent speech.

If not delivered thoughtfully and with consideration for children who speak differently, we stressed that a focus on oracy could be damaging and traumatic rather than empowering. That it could leave children who stammer with nowhere safe. 

The report, released today, has included our concerns, as well as those from organisations highlighting other special educational needs and disabilities. 

Welcoming stammered voices 

Kirsten Howells, Deputy CEO at STAMMA, says, "A focus on oracy creates great opportunities to celebrate different voices. At the same time, it's really important that schools consider how an increased focus on oracy over other types of communication risks marginalising children who stammer. So, it's important that schools ensure their classroom environments don't just accept, but positively welcome stammered voices".   

She continues, "We are pleased to see the Oracy Commission has considered some of our points in its report and we urge schools to consider how they work with and adapt the oracy curriculum so that children who stammer know that their voices matter".

The government has welcomed today's report and points towards its own education review, due to be released soon, which will set out its aim to increase speaking and listening skills. We await their review with interest and will keep you updated. 

For the full report, visit the Oracy Education Commission's website. You can download and read the submission we made to the Commission below.