Oracy At Coventry Academy
A Voice to Belong, Believe and Become
René Descartes famously said, “I think therefore I am.”
Here at Coventry Academy, we offer a belief that speaks even louder:
“I speak, therefore I become.”
Oracy – the ability to speak and listen effectively – is the golden thread that runs through every subject, every classroom and every conversation at our school. In partnership with Voice 21, we believe that oracy gives our students the power to find their voice, express who they are, and engage with the environment around them.
“Oracy is high-quality spoken language used with flair and creativity to forge your unique voice in the world.”
Sharon Gray, Head of English
What Is Oracy?
Oracy is learning through talk and to talk. It means:
✔️ Expressing ideas clearly
✔️ Listening actively and purposefully
✔️ Speaking with confidence and creativity
✔️ Participating thoughtfully in discussion and debate
At Coventry Academy, oracy is not an ‘add-on’. It is the foundation of access to the curriculum, to relationships, to self-belief. Our students often join us after periods of turbulence in their lives, having lost their confidence and their place in the school system.
Through oracy, we help them rebuild not only their vocabulary and communication skills, but also their humour, curiosity and trust.
How We Teach Oracy at Coventry Academy - A Whole-School Priority
In 2023, we formally partnered with Voice 21, the national charity for oracy education which has 1200 schools within its network. Since then, we’ve rolled out a comprehensive oracy strategy:
- All of our staff are trained via Voice 21’s CPD (Continuing Professional Development) platform The Exchange - an online training hub where teachers share best practice and build their skills.
- We have Oracy benchmarks and discussion guidelines displayed in every classroom
- Dedicated departmental Oracy Champions driving innovation across subjects
- Our Oracy pilot groups in KS3 and KS4 are now embedded
- We have received external validation and excellent feedback from Voice 21 consultants
In Every Subject – Every Day
Oracy lives in every corner of our curriculum. Just some examples include:
- English: Students practise structured debate, performance poetry and oral storytelling, building expressive vocabulary and literary confidence.
- PE & Foundation Subjects: Students take the lead in coaching, refereeing, video analysis and explaining technical skills, all tracked through STAR-marking and Voice 21 toolkits like concept cartoons and consensus circles.
- Reading and Vocabulary: From The Day articles to subject-specific reading games, we explicitly teach and celebrate academic language.
- Science: We use structured talk activities, role play, hot seating as well as vocabulary frames and sentence stems; all of which all encourage the use of scientific language correctly.
“We teach our students to articulate their thoughts, explain concepts and communicate their knowledge. Oracy supports deeper understanding - and it builds their self-belief.”
Andy Taylor, PE Teacher and Foundation Lead
“We have adopted the deliberate use of oracy in our science lessons to support students in developing both their communication skills and their scientific understanding. We have embedded structured oracy tools such as consensus circles, think–pair–share and structured debates to ensure that all learners have opportunities to articulate their thinking. While Collaborative tasks develop confidence, active listening, respect for others’ contributions, and the ability to reach agreement in group settings.”
Blaman Sekete, Science Teacher and Oracy Lead
Real Impact on Results and Confidence
At The Herald Centre,
📈 GCSE English pass rate (Grade 4+) rose from 33% (2024) to 50% (2025)
✅ 100% of students passed (Grades 1–9) in both years
These aren’t just numbers - they’re stories of students who regained belief in their ability to speak, write, and achieve.