With so much current focus on oracy development in schools, my school, like many others, has been implementing approaches to strengthen speaking and listening. While this is not new, the renewed emphasis has sharpened how we help pupils to:
- Speak well
- Share their thoughts and opinions clearly
- Listen to others more intently
- Agree and disagree well
- Consider the opinions of others
Since working with the national charity Voice 21, we have embedded oracy strategies that support these skills. Alongside improved communication, pupils are developing wider, transferable skills for life beyond the classroom. These include learning from others, deepening understanding, building relationships and speaking appropriately in different contexts. So, whilst the development of speaking and listening has always been prominent in my school, the focus on techniques and shared practices enhancing oracy development, is making a positive impact on pupils.
Through professional development and reading, I have become increasingly aware of how well oracy aligns with the RE curriculum, particularly with the development of personal knowledge. The film Nobody Stands Nowhere highlights how everyone has a worldview shaped by their experiences. Pupils enter the classroom with their own perspectives, formed through family, community, religion, and education.
Creating Space for Pupil Voice
In RE lessons and across the curriculum, pupils’ personal knowledge often emerges through structured talk. I now plan explicitly for:
- Debates
- Discussions
- Speaking and listening activities
Providing regular opportunities to practise these skills helps pupils develop confidence over time. More importantly, it supports them in understanding both themselves and others. When oracy and personal knowledge work together, pupils are better equipped to engage with diverse viewpoints and live well in a plural society.
Context Matters
I work in a culturally diverse Church of England school, where most pupils come from Islamic backgrounds. We also have pupils identifying as Christian, some from Hindu Dharma traditions, and an increasing number with no religious affiliation. This diversity means pupils bring a rich range of knowledge and perspectives into the classroom. Thoughtful planning is essential to ensure all voices are heard and valued.
Oracy in Practice
In a Year 1 unit on sacred places, oracy and personal knowledge are embedded throughout.
- Pupils begin by sorting familiar and unfamiliar artefacts linked to places of worship between hoops. They discuss what they recognise, what they know, what might be important and what they want to find out. They are encouraged to notice similarities and differences. It is interesting to hear pupils share their prior knowledge with their peers Careful use of oracy strategies ensures a wide range of voices are heard respectfully.
- In a later lesson, after pupils had been to visit both a mosque and a church, the What happens in…? resource from RE Today is used to raise discussions. Large cutaway drawings of both places of worship are looked at and, working in small groups initially using sentence stems, pupils share how they know the picture represents a mosque or a church. During this part of the activity, it is interesting to see how pupil knowledge has developed within the unit.
One pupil explained:
“I do not think this is a mosque because look at their feet. They haven’t taken their shoes off! It is important to take your shoes off in a mosque but you can keep them on in a church.”
This 5 year old pupil was able to use his prior and developed personal knowledge to deduce his response and articulate this clearly to his peers.
Practical Strategies
My top tips for using oracy and personal knowledge to enable effective learning:
- Structured time is prioritised for pupils to share prior understanding, hear the views of others and compose responses.
- Pupils are purposefully grouped to enable more effective discussions.
- Roles are delegated to ensure all pupils are involved in discussions.
- Scaffolds such as stem sentences are available to support discussions that build on the ideas of others.
- Teacher modelling and open question prompts support the learning throughout the lesson.
- Through teacher direction, the lesson is divided into smaller parts to promote purposeful discussions.
- Misconceptions are addressed and further learning opportunities are utilised throughout the lesson.
Why It Matters
Planned opportunities for oracy are essential in RE. They ensure that all pupils can participate, particularly when learning is carefully scaffolded. In a busy curriculum, it is vital to make time for pupils to explore their own thinking and respond to others.
When used well, oracy becomes a powerful tool for developing pupil voice. It allows pupils to express their ideas, reflect on their beliefs and engage meaningfully with different worldviews. In doing so, it unlocks the full potential of RE as a subject that supports both knowledge and personal development.
I would be interested to hear how you build pupils’ personal knowledge through oracy in your setting. How do you prioritise time, structure opportunities and scaffold learning to support every pupil to contribute?
About
Liz Manning is a KS1 teacher and the Faith, RE and Community Lead at St Michael’s Church of England Primary School in Bolton. She is currently a member of the NATRE Executive and Steering Group. Liz serves on Bolton SACRE as the RE Lead and Vice Chair. As part of her work for Bolton SACRE, she is a Leading Teacher for RE. In this role, she jointly supports primary RE Leads in the local area. Liz is both a passionate teacher and RE Lead. Believing strongly in the benefits of excellent religion and worldview learning in education, she enjoys supporting schools and RE Leads across Bolton. Alongside the team of Leading Teachers, she has recently taken on the role as a NATRE Local Group leader.