Teachers all over the country have been holding their breath, waiting for a shift in the education system. We weren’t sure how or where this change would come from or what it would involve, but we knew it was coming.
The recent Oracy Commission Report calls for this change – it outlines exactly what the change should be and why it needs to happen now. It is the most exciting and useful piece of research I have read recently, and it gives me hope for the future of children’s education. The report states that there is: ‘support for an education in which oracy is a core concern alongside literacy and numeracy. Parents want it, the economy demands it, democracy needs it, teachers welcome it and our children deserve it.’ We know that a meaningful oracy education for students has speaking and listening as part of the very fabric of a school. In order for the change outlined in the commission to take place, it can’t be English and Drama practitioners alone who drive it: it’s our collective responsibility.
However, there is a binary that exists between the arts and oracy, and this is acknowledged in the report that states: ‘oracy and the arts are mutually supportive.’ They naturally allow students a space to experiment ‘through talk’ while simultaneously building confidence ‘to talk’ in a meaningful and expressive way. The Oracy Commission has made direct reference to the importance of the Expressive Arts being ‘resourced and incentivised’ as part of the oracy movement. Their importance in the success of developing and improving young people’s oracy skills is paramount. We must revive both.
As educators, we are fully aware that we are not only responsible for the academic attainment of our students, but more importantly we are responsible for their development as people. As Geoff Barton (Chair of the Commission) explains: ‘In this age of robots, we want students to excel as human beings.’ We want to develop articulate, passionate, empathetic young people who are confidently able to flourish in the wider world. Employers are recognising the importance of employees’ ability to communicate, with drive and enthusiasm. Our job is to help secure their jobs, their futures; and their success is rooted in their ability to talk. On reflection, this is the change we have been waiting for. A recognition that oracy and the arts are intrinsically linked and should be valued alongside numeracy and literacy. Both need room to breathe and grow within a revitalised education system.