Oracy education vital for children from all backgrounds, says new Manchester Met-backed report
Oracy education is as important as reading, writing and arithmetic to ensure that young people from all backgrounds are fully prepared for their future, a new University-backed report argues.
Professor Rob Drummond was part of the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education, which today (October 8) launched its report in the House of Lords, calling for increased emphasis on oracy education for all young people.
Oracy is defined as articulating ideas, developing understanding, and engaging with others through speaking, listening and communication. Prior to coming into power, Labour pledged to make oracy a priority in education at all levels.
Sociolinguistics expert Prof Drummond was invited to sit on the independent Commission to offer his academic expertise in sociolinguistics, as well as share his experience gained through public engagement work.
The report launched today at the House of Lords highlights the rising importance of oracy skills to help students’ academic progression through school, and their future success in a workplace which increasingly relies on AI.
Prof Drummond said: “I was pleased to be able to contribute to this report, and share my experiences and insights around language diversity, linguistic prejudice, and the relationship between language and identity, as well as learn from the insights of the other experts on the Commission.
“The final version is the result of a lot of discussion, negotiation, and shared understanding. I’m very pleased that my own priorities around the importance of sociolinguistic knowledge and the development of critical language awareness have a meaningful presence in the final report.
“I hope the report is used to influence policy in this vital area of education, an area that has the potential to benefit young people from all backgrounds.”
Hosted by the UK’s oracy education charity Voice 21 in partnership with funding and policy organisation Impetus, the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education was established earlier this year to help ensure that children and young people from all backgrounds benefit from an education that builds their language, understanding and confidence.
Polling on behalf of the Commission found that over 80% of business leaders and parents support more time being spent on the development of young people’s oracy skills at school.
Professor Drummond was one of the selected experts who helped shape the final report, alongside teachers, educational leaders, exam bodies and charities.
The work follows several high-profile academic studies and public engagement projects led by Prof Drummond including Manchester Voices, which saw him interviewing 400 local residents about how they speak, in a specially commissioned ‘accent van’ on the streets of Manchester.
The project has been made into a permanent archive available for the public to view online and in person at Manchester Central Library and helped inform Prof Drummond’s book launched earlier in the year, You’re All Talk: Why we are what we speak.
