Teach-Secondary-14.1

32% of educators who have usedAI report experiencing a decrease in their workload Source: YouGov survey commissioned by Bett for its report, ‘The Rise of AI in Education 2024’ ‘Why are so many people talking about oracy recently? ’ a colleague whispers to me, during a staff training session on the topic. I chuckle, because I’ve noticed that following Sir Keir Starmer’s emphasis on integrating oracy into the curriculum, there’s been a renewed conversation around the need for explicit teaching of speaking skills. I want to be grateful that people are finally recognising how fundamentally important this is. However, I can’t help but feel irritated by the idea of politicians granting educators permission to do something we knowwe should be doing already. Those of us who spend our days in classrooms are aware of our students’ needs, as well as the gaps that exist between those who know how to communicate well and those who do not. We experience first- hand the stark contrast in interactions that take place in lessons, and recognise where young people fall short. We also see how those who arrive in our classrooms empowered to use their voices tend to attract their teachers’ attention, both during lessons and outside them. This is where the root of my frustration lies, since addressing oracy in schools is undeniably an act of tackling social disadvantage. It’s the bridge that we build between the children who have found and use their voices to actively engage in discussion around the dinner table, and those who may not even have a dinner table, or a home life that presents such opportunities. For many, they will have only limited opportunities for practising and improving their speaking skills. If we don’t teach oracy in school, then a significant number of students will fall further behind, widening the current disadvantage gap yet further. Research by the Education Endowment Foundation has found that oral language interventions can have a ‘ Very high impact for very low cost ’, identifying an average of 6 months’ additional progress over a year. I’d encourage anyone who works in schools to take steps towards addressing oracy. It has always held a prominent place inmy classroom, and teaching it to Y7 students (once weekly) has served as a wonderful transition into secondary school, establishing a culture of speaking confidently, listening intently and contributing enthusiastically. The success of these lessons led to the creation of my teaching pack, Develop Brilliant Speaking . Oracy teaching can be incorporated consistently across the curriculum, and tackled at a whole school level by identifying key non-negotiables, communicating clearly with all stakeholders and building upon this over time, to ensure that the entire school community supports students in speaking more confidently and skilfully. If you’re a teacher, can you remember how and where you first found your voice? It probably involved plenty of encouragement, and a safe space in which to practise and make mistakes. This is where we need to start! It’s imperative to embed and incorporate opportunities to speak into KS3, so that it’s not only accepted as part and parcel of participation in professional spaces, but also seen as something to enjoy; an opportunity to share thinking, express oneself and build relationships. Managing the narrative around this is as important as the delivery when teaching it. CLOSE-UPON... ORACYAND SOCIALMOBILITY DJAMILA BOOTHMAN IS AN ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL, TEACH FIRST TRUSTEE AND AMBASSADOR, AND AUTHOR OF THE ORACY-THEMED DEVELOP BRILLIANT SPEAKING TEACHER RESOURCE PACK FOR KS3 ENGLISH AND DRAMA (£75, COLLINS) How likely is it that the government will deliver on its pledge to recruit 6,500 teachers by 2027/28? The National Foundation for Educational Research has crunched the numbers and concluded that only a combination of different measures will bring that about – and that the costs involved will be considerable. The most costly solution of all would be to boost numbers solely by upping teachers’ salaries. The NFER calculates that restoring teacher pay to where it was in proportion to the wider economy circa 2010 would require pay increases of 9.55%– £2.1 billionmore than the 2025//26 baseline scenario – in 2025/26, 2026/27 and 2027/28. If enacted, though, the profession would see the addition of 6,513 teachers by 2027/28. Other potential options include increasing bursaries – though even increasing bursaries from2026/27 to just below the starting salary for all subjects, barring history and PE, would only result in 2,535more secondary teachers, compared to 2024/25. Amore targeted approach to keeping ECTs in post could be to offer revised early career retention payments (ECRPs). Increasing these to £15,000 for all teachers of currently eligible subjects within their first five years would only boost teacher numbers by 2,625. According to the NFER, meeting the 6,500 target figure would require expanding ECRP eligibility to all subjects currently eligible for bursaries, upping ECRP payments to £13,000 at schools with the highest numbers of FSM and £11,000 for the lowest, and increasing the primary bursary to £13,500 throughout 2026/27 and 2027/28. The full NFER report, ‘How to recruit 6,500 teachers?’, can be downloaded via tinyurl.com/ts141-LL1 L E A R N I N G L A B 77 teachwire.net/secondary