Oracy

Oracy is our ability to communicate effectively using spoken language. Oracy is the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through spoken language. (Voice 21)

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At Seaton Academy, we believe spoken language to be fundamental to the development and achievements of our children. Research has highlighted ‘the strong link between children’s early language and their future academic achievement’ (Snowling & Hulme, 2011). We strive as a school to elevate spoken language to provide solid foundations for reading and writing.

As well as having a positive impact on academic outcomes, focusing on language also helps children: express their needs and wants; build strong and secure relationships; and develop their imagination.

We are committed to building and embedding a culture of oracy. Purposeful talk is used to drive learning, which has been planned, designed, modelled, scaffolded and structured to enable all learners to develop skills needed to communicate effectively. We strive to develop oracy in the curriculum, playtimes, lunchtimes and extra-curricular activities; encompassing the ethos of our school.  

High Quality Interactions

Little Wandle Foundations for Language

At Seaton Academy, we are trained in Little Wandle Foundations for Language. This has been designed to run alongside Little Wandle Foundations for Phonics, as part of the wider Communication and Language and Literacy provision. This ensures staff are skilled at using high-quality interactions to develop children’s language in the EYFS.

Neuroscience has shown us that the ‘growth of children’s language is linked to the quality of back-and-forth interactions’ they have with their caregivers (Romeo et al.,2018). These interactions form the foundations for language and cognitive development. Within these crutial interactions, children learn best when they are explicitly taught vocabulary and are provided with a good model of grammar.

Through using this approach, our EYFS children will learn:

  • New vocabulary
  • Appropriate grammatical structures
  • Turn-taking in conversations
  • To become confident communicators

These skills are aligned with the communication and language focus outlined in Development Matters.

The ShREC Approach (EEF)

All staff have been trained in using the SHREC approach to promote high-quality, adult-child interactions that support language development, thinking skills and emotional connection. Practitioners are encouraged to pause and give children space to communicate (Share Attention), reflect on what the child is saying or doing, and build on it with rich language input (Respond and Expand), before checking understanding and encouraging further dialogue (Conversation). This responsive and intentional way of interacting helps to extend vocabulary, model conversational turn-taking and deepen children's engagement in play and learning. SHREC is particularly effective in supporting communication and language outcomes for all children, including those with EAL or additional needs.

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STAIRS approach to scaffolding (EEF)

Our skilled staff are trained in EEF's STAIRS approach to scaffolding. This ensures staff engage with children to build confidence, independence and effective learning. By embedding STAIRS in everyday interactions, we help all children, including those with SEND or who need extra language support, to engage meaningfully, believe in their own learning and become resilient, independent learners.

Vocabulary

At Seaton Academy, we believe that developing a rich and varied vocabulary is essential for all children to become confident speakers, readers, and writers. A strong vocabulary supports children’s ability to understand the world around them, express their ideas clearly, and access all areas of the curriculum.

At Seaton Academy, we use Vocabulary Vines alongside our Literacy Tree teaching. These vines explicitly identify vocabulary from each text, providing additional opportunities for paired, small group and whole class experimentation with the vocabulary in context. Vocabulary vines further complement spelling development too, through exploration of the morphology (word structure) and etymology (origins) of words. They also provide oracy opportunities through a focus on talk tasks and oral sentence construction. 

Tiered Vocabulary Across the Curriculum

To support effective vocabulary instruction, we use a tiered approach based on research into word learning:

  • Tier 1 Vocabulary:
    Everyday, familiar words that children commonly hear and use in daily life (e.g. house, run, happy, dog).

    • These words usually do not need explicit teaching but should be reinforced through conversation, story time, and play.

  • Tier 2 Vocabulary:
    High-frequency words that appear across many subjects and contexts but are less common in everyday speech (e.g. compare, enormous, delicate, investigate).

    • These words are key to academic success and understanding of texts.

    • They are explicitly taught, discussed, and revisited in different contexts.

  • Tier 3 Vocabulary:
    Subject-specific or topic-related words used within particular areas of learning (e.g. evaporation, habitat, polygon).

    • These are taught within the context of each subject or topic, with opportunities for practical use and reinforcement.

Implementation

  • Teachers identify and plan key Tier 2 and Tier 3 words for each unit of learning.
  • New vocabulary is introduced in meaningful contexts, with visual and spoken support.
  • Words are revisited regularly through discussion, display, and written work.
  • Vocabulary development is supported through high-quality texts, talk-rich classrooms, and structured opportunities for children to use new language confidently.

Benefits of a Tiered Vocabulary Approach

  • Improves comprehension: Children understand stories and information more deeply.
  • Supports writing: A wider vocabulary enables more precise and creative expression.
  • Promotes equality: Explicit vocabulary teaching helps to close the word gap for disadvantaged pupils.
  • Builds confidence: Children are empowered to use ambitious words when speaking and writing.
  • Enhances subject learning: Understanding Tier 3 words supports success in all areas of the curriculum.

Oracy in Maths

In the Maths classroom, children are given the opportunity to articulate their mathematical thinking and reasoning through our NCETM Mastering Number curriculum. Through discussion, children develop deeper understanding of the maths they are learning. Oracy is important in the maths classroom, as it gives our children the chance to explore and verbalise their ideas, and develop their thinking.

Maths talk takes practise, and the expectation needs to be built over time.

Teachers model technical and precise mathematical vocabulary. At Seaton Academy we introduce this very explicitly to our children, through the NCETM planned sequence of work. This allows our children to effectively develop their mathematical talk. We believe this to be a powerful way to demonstrate high expectations.

At Seaton Academy, repetition is used to help our children engage better with more independent maths talk, by modelling and giving them the tools they need to begin to construct their own sentences. Setting the expectation of full-sentence answers, even short, closed questions, develops the skills and confidence needed to respond orally to more complex mathematical problems. Stem sentences are used consistently to structure talk, allowing children to say their own answers linked to the mathematical teaching. The complexity is gradually increased allowing the children to build their communication skills.