Angela McLean, Curriculum Innovation Lead, Holme Grange School

In our recent school development sessions, we've been focusing on a single, powerful goal: making talk as structured and rigorous as writing. By moving away from hands-up participation and toward the ABC talk system, we are ensuring that every pupil (from EYFS to KS4) has the tools to articulate, build, and challenge ideas.

Why oracy? Why now?

Our oracy intent is clear: we want pupils to use talk to deepen understanding. We've adopted the mantra: Teachers explicitly teach spoken language to support thinking and learning. This isn't just about being "chatty"; it's about academic precision.

The ABC routine

The heart of our work revolves around three simple roles that provide a non-negotiable routine for every classroom:

• Add: Introducing a new idea or piece of evidence.
• Build: Connecting or extending what someone else has said.
• Challenge: Respectfully questioning an idea or offering a justified alternative.

Policy into practice

Since we began this work in early January, we have developed a suite of resources to ensure this isn't just a policy on a shelf: 

1. Phase-specific scaffolds: We created tiered sentence stems (see link below). EYFS focus on simple "I think" statements, while KS4 students are now using academic phrases like "An alternative interpretation could be..."
2. Staff CPD: We have explored ways in which to bring this talk structure into every classroom across every phase, asked teachers to audit their classrooms, and are rolling out sentence stems posters to ensure they are visible and that the teacher-as-facilitator model is the norm.
3. Low-workload implementation: We recognised that for this to work, it must be sustainable. Our current model asks for just one ABC question per lesson and 2- 5 minutes of structured talk.

Inclusion at the heart

Perhaps the most vital part of our January work was the focus on SEND-adapted talk. By introducing visual cue cards, think time (or use of think-pair-share), and pre­-rehearsal strategies, we are ensuring that oracy is a tool for equity, not a barrier.

Looking ahead

As we move forward, our oracy charter reminds us: Challenge the idea, not the person. We are now looking at how this high-quality talk translates directly into improved written outcomes, proving that if they can say it, they can write it.

Additional reading and resources:

• ABC sentence stems by key stage – examples shared by Holme Grange School (NACE member login required)
• More about oracy