Teach Early Years - Issue 14.2

SAMANTHA MARTIN-BEAGLE IS A PROGRAMME LEAD AT VOICE 21 Affording young children plentiful opportunities to speak, listen, and communicate will give them a boost that lasts a lifetime, says Samantha Martin-Beagle … “Oracy underpins learning” H igh-quality oracy provision is more important now than ever, and like many essential life skills, its roots are firmly planted in the early years. Children make sense of the world, build relationships, and express themselves through dialogue, and it underpins all seven areas of learning and development. At Voice 21, we view oracy as a vital part of development for all children. We define oracy as the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding, and engage with others through speaking, listening and communication. Research by the Oracy Education Commission updated this definition to include communication explicitly, acknowledging that talk is not the only form of interaction. This inclusive approach ensures oracy celebrates all voices and empowers every child to participate fully in their learning. SUPPORTING ORACY Children with strong early oracy skills are more likely to succeed later academically and socially. A high-quality oracy education in the early years can support literacy outcomes at KS2 and have a positive impact on their life chances as adults. It can also improve a child’s experience of education, allowing them to find more enjoyment and motivation at school. Supporting oracy in EYFS means creating authentic and varied opportunities for children to speak, listen, and communicate. Through these interactions, children begin to develop a strong sense of identity, learn social routines, and build the foundational skills that will support their learning for life. Often the emphasis in EYFS is on teaching children to talk , yet oracy includes a broader set of communication skills even from the very start. THE ORACY FRAMEWORK The Oracy Framework (tinyurl.com/ TEYV211) helps teachers to plan a high- quality oracy education. It was created by Voice 21 and Oracy Cambridge and breaks oracy down into specific teachable skills linking to the physical, linguistic, cognitive, and social and emotional development of children. Voice 21 works with a national network of early years settings, supporting practitioners to identify how to apply these skills to age-related expectations for spoken language development in their provision. Children naturally mirror the behaviours of the adults around them. Since many children spend most of their week in EYFS settings, it is crucial that practitioners reflect on how they 20 Teachearlyyears.com