In 2025, the UK government confirmed that oracy will become a mandatory part of the national curriculum by 2028. For the first time, speaking and listening skills will sit alongside reading and writing as core educational outcomes that schools are expected to deliver and that Ofsted will inspect.
If you're a teacher or school leader wondering what this means in practice, this article breaks it down: what changed, why it matters, and what you can start doing today.
What happened in the 2025 Curriculum Review
The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, led by Professor Becky Francis, recommended that oracy should be embedded across all subjects, not confined to English or drama. The government accepted this recommendation and committed to a phased rollout by 2028.
This means every subject teacher — from maths to history to science — will be expected to develop students' spoken communication skills as part of their lessons.
Why oracy matters: the evidence
The push for oracy isn't just a policy change — it's backed by significant research:
- The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) found that oracy-focused teaching leads to an average of +2 months additional academic progress.
- Research from Vosaic shows that 89% of classroom talk is done by teachers, not students. Most students speak for less than 30 seconds per lesson.
- Voice21's national oracy framework has been adopted by over 1,000 schools, demonstrating that structured oracy teaching improves confidence, vocabulary, and academic outcomes.
"When students talk more, they learn more. But in most classrooms, the teacher does almost all the talking." — Education Endowment Foundation
What Ofsted will look for
While the exact inspection framework for oracy is still being developed, schools should expect Ofsted to assess:
- Structured speaking opportunities — Are students given regular, planned chances to speak in lessons, beyond just answering questions?
- Cross-curricular delivery — Is oracy embedded across subjects, not just in English?
- Progress tracking — Can the school demonstrate how students' oracy skills are developing over time?
- Inclusive practice — Are all students speaking, not just the most confident?
5 practical steps to start preparing now
You don't need to wait until 2028. Schools that start building oracy into their practice now will be well ahead when it becomes statutory. Here's where to begin:
1. Audit your current provision
Walk through a typical lesson in each department. How many minutes do students spend actually speaking? If the answer is less than five minutes, there's room to grow.
2. Start with structured talk tasks
Think-pair-share, talk partners, and debate protocols are low-cost, high-impact ways to increase student talk time. They work in any subject and don't require new resources.
3. Use technology to guarantee participation
Tools like QuizCards use voice-powered quizzes so every student speaks — not just the loudest. Students answer by talking, and the app tracks engagement across the class. Teachers report up to 340% more student talk time compared to traditional Q&A.
4. Track and evidence oracy
If you can't measure it, you can't demonstrate it to Ofsted. Start recording how often students speak, in which subjects, and how their confidence grows. Even a simple spreadsheet is a start — but digital tools make it much easier.
5. Build a whole-school approach
Oracy works best when it's a shared commitment. Designate an oracy lead, run a staff CPD session, and agree on a common language for speaking skills across departments.
The bottom line
Oracy is no longer optional. The 2025 curriculum review has set the direction, and the 2028 deadline gives schools a clear window to prepare. The good news is that the tools and frameworks already exist — and the evidence shows that when students speak more, they learn more.
The question isn't whether to start, but how quickly you can embed oracy into your school's DNA.
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