Is it the key to inequality? Experts claim that learning to speak is crucial for smashing the “class ceiling”. But some teachers think teaching talking is trickier than it sounds.
Talking is crucial says school report
Is it the key to inequality? Experts claim that learning to speak is crucial for smashing the "class ceiling". But some teachers think teaching talking is trickier than it sounds.
We need to talk about talking. So says the Oracy Education Commission, a group of education experts.
This week it released a big report. It claims that oracy - the ability to express oneself well through speech - is a skill that needs to be taught in all schools.
The term oracy comes from education theory. It means the confident use of language, in writing, speaking and listening.
The commission also uses oracy to refer to the way spoken communication can help us to learn, and also to our general knowledge and understanding of speech, listening and how they are used.
Oracy is a hot topic. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said last year: "I'm determined a Labour government will put confident speaking at the heart of what we teach our children." He has said that speaking skills are vital to smash the "class ceilingA hidden barrier that prevents people from advancing in class and earning the same as those from upper middle-class backgrounds." that holds back students from poorer backgrounds.
Data suggests that background affects oracy. According to the National Literacy Trust, 31% of five-year-olds start primary school without the language skills they need to thrive. This rises to 47% among children from disadvantaged backgrounds.1 The Trust writes: "This is a gap many children won't recover from."
There is also evidence that oracy fuels achievement. Another report claims that pupils on free school meals are 1.6 times more likely to underperform with language than their peers who are not.
It also found that five-year-olds with poor language skills are six times less likely to reach the expected standard in English, and 11 times less likely in maths.2
For Starmer and the Commission, this evidence suggests that good oracy can help to remove inequalityWhen money and opportunities are not shared equally between different groups in society..
Others are not convinced. Disadvantaged children are not all the same. Not all of them have poor oracy, just as not all advantaged children have great oracy.
Inequality is part of a larger system. An individual improving their ability to express themselves is a good thing, but it cannot overcome other disadvantages such as poverty. These are beyond a child's and a school's control.
Is it the key to inequality?
Yes: People make judgements based on first impressions. And one of the key ways we assess people is in how clearly and fluently they speak. Teaching oracy will level this, flattening out unfair advantages.
No: Oracy is not powerful enough to end inequality. Someone born to a disadvantaged background will always have fewer opportunities than someone not, regardless of how well they can communicate.
Or... Better oracy should help some students. But spare a thought for those with disorders that make speaking confidently - or speaking much at all - difficult. Would a focus on oracy cast them aside?
Keywords
Class ceiling - A hidden barrier that prevents people from advancing in class and earning the same as those from upper middle-class backgrounds.
Inequality - When money and opportunities are not shared equally between different groups in society.
Talking is crucial says school report
Glossary
Class ceiling - A hidden barrier that prevents people from advancing in class and earning the same as those from upper middle-class backgrounds.
Inequality - When money and opportunities are not shared equally between different groups in society.