Spoken Language and Oracy

73% of children at Argyle are learning English as an Additional Language, so developing strong spoken language skills is an important part of teaching and learning across the school. We want children to have the language and confidence to share their ideas, explain their thinking and take an active part in their learning. Talk is built into lessons across the curriculum. Children regularly work with partners and in groups, giving them opportunities to rehearse ideas, explain their thinking and learn from one another. Teachers explicitly teach and share key vocabulary and use sentence frames to help children organise and express their ideas.

Our Talk Rules provide a consistent approach to developing speaking and listening across the school. These build as children move through the school, from learning to speak clearly, listen carefully and take turns, to choosing vocabulary carefully, building on the ideas of others, asking thoughtful questions and adapting their talk for different situations and audiences.

Most year groups also work towards an oracy outcome during the year, giving children an opportunity to bring these skills together and use them for a clear purpose.

We recognise and celebrate the importance of good communication through our Super Learning Powers. Our ‘Cool Communicator’ learning power celebrates children who demonstrate good speaking and listening skills, whether this is sharing an idea clearly, listening carefully to someone else, contributing well to a group or using language to explain their thinking.

Building Language and Vocabulary

Developing a rich vocabulary is an important part of our approach. Our Words of the Week introduce children to challenging vocabulary and encourage them to understand and use new words. Alongside this, key vocabulary is explicitly taught across the curriculum so that children have the language they need to talk about their learning with increasing confidence and precision.

In the Early Years, there is a strong focus on communication and language from the start. We use WellComm screening checks to assess children’s language skills and identify those who may benefit from additional support. Where needed, children take part in targeted interventions, including Interactive Stories. Adults in the Early Years also use the ShREC approach to make the most of everyday interactions with children, giving them time to communicate and helping to develop and extend their language through conversation.

Giving Children a Voice

Opportunities for talk extend beyond the classroom. Each week, children from Years 1–6 take part in School Forum, where they meet in small groups to discuss a shared topic. This might be linked to our Value of the Month, an aspect of the curriculum, school life or an upcoming event such as Anti-Bullying Week. School Forum gives children regular opportunities to express their views, listen and respond to others and contribute to group discussions. It also provides an important way for pupils to have a voice in the wider life of the school.

Talk for Writing

Our school follows the Talk for Writing approach, as we believe that oral rehearsal is an important part of learning to write. Talking through ideas and rehearsing stories, text structures, sentence patterns and vocabulary helps children to become familiar with new language before applying it independently in their writing.

Across the school, we aim to make talk a natural and valued part of learning. Through regular discussion and group work, explicit vocabulary teaching and support with structuring spoken responses, children develop the language and confidence they need to communicate their ideas and engage fully in their learning.