Oracy Education Rise from Marginal to Mainstream
Over the past decade, oracy—defined as the ability to express oneself fluently and communicate effectively—has emerged as a powerful force in Oracy education. Once overlooked, oracy has now become a central pillar in over 1,100 schools, thanks largely to the efforts of Voice 21. Beginning in 2015 with just 12 schools, the organisation has helped integrate oracy into classrooms across the UK, reaching over half a million students. With nearly 16,000 trained teachers and 4,000 dedicated oracy leaders, this movement has brought about a cultural shift where speaking and listening are as valued as traditional academic skills.
Oracy education is not reserved for exceptional institutions—it’s becoming a daily practice in ordinary schools. Whether it’s a six-year-old giving a speech on climate change, students influencing local councils, or playground disputes being resolved through dialogue, oracy is proving to be transformative. Its impact is layered: enhancing critical thinking, fostering collaboration, resolving conflict, improving writing, and boosting student confidence.
Why Oracy Matters More Than Ever?
As technology, particularly artificial intelligence, reshapes the workforce, the value of human-centric skills such as communication, empathy, and reasoning is growing. These are areas where oracy education plays a critical role. In an era marked by political polarisation and intolerance, teaching students to “disagree agreeably” and truly listen to one another has become not just a benefit but a necessity.
Oracy is also a pressing concern in the labour market. Employers consistently report that new hires lack adequate spoken communication skills. In response, a recent YouGov poll found that 80% of business leaders support increasing oracy education in schools. Research consistently shows that students with strong language skills not only perform better in core subjects like English and maths but also demonstrate higher motivation, better mental health outcomes, and improved employability.
Voice 21’s own findings reinforce this. Using comparative judgment technology, the organisation has shown that students in schools with sustained oracy programs significantly outperform peers in spoken communication. This growing body of evidence underscores the urgent need to ensure that oracy education is no longer optional, but essential.
A National Call to Action
As oracy celebrates its tenth year of transformation through Voice 21, advocates are urging policymakers to take the next bold step: make oracy a core educational entitlement. The call is clear—just like reading, writing, and arithmetic, oracy should be recognised as a foundational skill in the curriculum.
To truly embed oracy into education, systemic reforms are needed. This includes integrating oracy meaningfully across all subjects in the national curriculum, creating an assessment framework that values spoken language, and ensuring every school has the resources and training to implement it effectively. Leadership roles such as oracy leads should be standard practice, not rare exceptions.
Prime Ministerial support for oracy is already on record. The moment is ripe for government action. As society navigates a complex, AI-driven future, equipping every child—regardless of background—with the confidence and skills to speak up and be heard is not just a matter of improving standards; it’s a matter of fairness.
