Leeds school receives national recognition for developing students’ oracy - speaking and listening skills

Bishop Young Academy has been selected by Voice 21, the national oracy education charity, as one of its first Oracy Centres of Excellence. This accreditation certifies and celebrates schools that are leading the way in providing a high-quality oracy education for their students.

To become a Voice 21 Oracy Centre of Excellence, Bishop Young Academy had to demonstrate the quality of oracy education being provided across five areas of school life: the school’s vision, culture, curriculum, learning and impact on students.

Leading the way

As a Voice 21 Oracy Centre of Excellence, Bishop Young will act as a beacon of good practice for oracy across the school system. It will support other schools in developing their students’ oracy skills, showcasing how explicit and purposeful oracy teaching can be.

Good oracy means being able to express yourself well. Developing these skills gives students the vocabulary to say what they want to say, and to be able to structure their thoughts so that they can clearly communicate to others. It also helps them to listen effectively and understand what is being said. It can help pupils become more confident.

Amy Gaunt, Director of Learning and Impact at Voice 21, said: “I’d like to congratulate Bishop Young Academy on becoming one of Voice 21’s first Oracy Centres of Excellence. It’s a testament to the innovative and inspirational oracy teaching by staff across school. This is already having significant impacts on students’ learning, and will be of huge benefit to them as they progress throughout school and in future education and employment opportunities.”

Rachael Cole, Head of School said “We are delighted to have been recognised as one of the first schools in the country to have achieved this award. The impact of our oracy teaching is clear when talking to our students, who are incredibly articulate and full of confidence when expressing their views. Students and staff alike have worked so hard and we are proud to be an articulate academy”

Bishop Young, at Seacroft, Leeds, has been accredited in the context of an increasing focus on oracy within the education sector. Earlier this year, then Schools Minister Robin Walker emphasised the importance of spoken language development in his mission to make England a world-leader in literacy. Polling in 2021 found that two thirds of teachers believe that oracy is now high-priority as schools re-opened after pandemic-induced closures. More than 500 schools have registered to work with Voice 21 and improve their oracy provision from September – Bishop Young Academy will be working with Voice 21 and these schools to support their oracy provision.

Find out more about the school by visiting the website here.