Oracy education - consultation response

21 May 2024

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OCR has warned that a neglect of spoken language in education is leaving some young people struggling to communicate, and less well equipped to deal with challenges like media bias and AI.

In a response to the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England, OCR said that oracy should be a more integrated part of education from Early Years onwards, by working with teachers and school leaders rather than through a ‘top down’ approach.

The exam board, which is part of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, added that a narrow focus on formal written work at the expense of speaking and listening in GCSE English Language is contributing towards the decline in popularity of the subject.

OCR also called for media analysis to be added to GCSE English Language. This would enable young people to talk about bias and fake news and prepare them to evaluate information they come across from online influencers.

Widespread demand for change

Speaking and listening are currently not represented in the assessment of English Language at GCSE level, and as a result are treated as less important than written, literary sources. While the subject includes a spoken language endorsement, it is a formal presentation that does not contribute towards the GCSE grade.

OCR found a widespread demand for this to change, drawing on conversations with teachers and other experts, including extensive consultation as part of OCR’s upcoming review into 11-16 education, led by former education secretary Charles Clarke.

Many teachers and experts favour a greater focus on wider oracy skills in classrooms, such as debates, discussions and verbal analysis.

Benefits go beyond the classroom

Jill Duffy, Chief Executive of OCR, said: “Teachers do a great job in promoting oracy education where they can, but until it is treated with the same importance as literacy and numeracy, it will continue to lose out in crowded timetables and stretched budgets.

“We can’t afford to ignore oracy. Greater speaking and listening skills go beyond the classroom: they help young people to critically analyse videos they come across online, making them better able to spot divisive rhetoric and misinformation.

“Oracy underpins successful learning in all other subjects. Children who engage in active whole-class discussion are more likely to feel positively about their school and engaged in their learning.”

Oracy and inequality

The ongoing impacts of Covid learning loss make support for oracy more urgent, according to OCR’s submission. Evidence suggests that children who came of age during the pandemic are more likely to struggle with small talk and appropriate body language.

Oracy is also linked to inequalities. OCR’s submission points out that “poor language skills in the early years is a common theme for disadvantaged students, with a 19-month gap across the language skills of five-year-olds in the lowest and highest income groups”. This risks cementing these inequalities, with lifelong links between oracy and career outcomes, and communication skills being amongst the most highly desired by potential employers.

Read the full consultation response from OCR

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