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Homepage Curriculum and Assessment Review Curriculum and Assessment Review: Oracy & English
6 min
The Curriculum & Assessment Review’s final recommendations, led by Becky Francis, are out. See what they mean for the future of Oracy in the classroom.
The Curriculum & Assessment Review’s final recommendations, led by Becky Francis, are now published. While we've identified some overall key takeaways, you may be interested to know how oracy is discussed. The ability to communicate effectively, to speak clearly, listen critically and express oneself confidently is fundamental to success in life, learning and citizenship. Yet, for too long, the teaching of these vital oracy skills has remained inconsistent in schools.
This Curriculum and Assessment Review Final Report places a welcome and significant emphasis on addressing this gap, aiming to enable schools to give oracy a greater priority within the curriculum. By doing so, the Review directly supports the development of stronger speaking, listening and communication skills that pupils need, not just for academic achievement, but for a lifetime of engagement, self-advocacy and success.
Here are the six key takeaways from the Review's recommendations, which is set to transform how oracy is taught across all educational stages:
A core recommendation of the Review is the implementation of a new oracy framework. This framework will cover speaking, listening and various forms of communication, including non-written methods such as sign language. Its purpose is to work alongside and complement the Department for Education’s Reading and Writing Frameworks. The new oracy framework will assist primary teachers in ensuring their learners develop into confident and fluent speakers and listeners by the conclusion of Key Stage 2. In addition, a new secondary oracy, reading and writing framework will empower secondary teachers to integrate and connect these three crucial skills across all subjects to hopefully form a comprehensive whole-school approach for older learners preparing for life and work beyond the classroom. Currently, curriculum guidance for spoken language is limited with the Review stating that its ‘attention to oracy is insufficient’, which has inevitably led to inconsistent implementation and a lack of clear progression for many. This disproportionately affects vulnerable pupils, such as children eligible for Free School Meals and those with Special Educational Needs, who are less likely to meet early communication and language standards. The new framework is crucial for establishing clear, consistent guidance and ensuring all pupils benefit from oracy's proven benefits for learning, critical thinking, engagement and understanding.
The Review defines oracy broadly to incorporate speaking, listening and communication, including verbal as well as other forms of non-written communication, such as sign language, non-verbal cues and Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC). Another step towards the Review’s overarching goal of ‘ensuring the education system works for all children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)’.
Their inclusive definition is a significant step towards equity in education. By recognising these diverse ways of communicating, the Review highlights that every child should have their voice valued and recognised in the curriculum. This approach will not only widen access but also strengthen crucial cognitive and social skills so pupils build confidence, understand how metacommunication works (including interpreting non-verbal cues), and develop the language and reasoning skills they need to succeed.
A crucial element of the Review is the alignment of a proposed new oracy framework with the existing DfE Reading and Writing Frameworks, establishing spoken language as a foundational skill for literacy. The goal of this integration is to ensure that the explicit teaching of speaking and listening systematically supports oral composition, improving writing and language comprehension, thereby improving reading. This recommendation creates a cohesive, evidence-based approach where all three communication skills reading, writing, and oracy are mutually reinforcing and taught rigorously across the curriculum.
Evidence from the Association of Citizenship Teaching suggests that this education leads to positive outcomes in adulthood in relation to civic participation. Making Citizenship statutory ensures all primary pupils receive an education that includes vital oracy elements, such as:
Embedding these skills through oracy-focused practice ensures young people develop the necessary knowledge and skills to play a full and active role in society.
The Review highlights the crucial role of oracy across the curriculum, with profound implications for the early years, where Communication and Language lay the very foundation for confident and effective communicators. In response to the Review, the Government pledges to build on the Best Start in Life Strategy to raise standards in the early years, boosting access to high-quality early education and care, and supporting families to develop children’s language and learning at home through Best Start Family Hubs. This includes new training and development for reception year teachers, which will collectively help to deliver the ambition for 90% of children to meet the expected standard in the phonics screening check, alongside expanded support for children with SEND to access phonics and improve their reading. Embedding these skills early not only strengthens progression into Key Stage 1 but also fosters curiosity, self-expression, and a love of language.
The Review notes that Drama has strong links to oracy and presenting skills and is a valuable part of a broad and balanced curriculum that builds students’ confidence.
To better leverage this, the Review recommends:
The comprehensive recommendations laid out in the Review provide a clear and ambitious roadmap for embedding confident, articulate and thoughtful communication skills across the entire educational journey. The most significant step forward and the key immediate action resulting from this Review will be the development and introduction of a new Oracy Framework. Designed to complement the existing DfE Reading and Writing Frameworks, this strategic alignment will be central to the Review's goal: to move beyond inconsistent practice and establish spoken language as a foundational, explicitly taught skill alongside reading and writing.
Becky Escreet, English: Reading, Writing & Oracy Educational Content Lead at Twinkl, has recently led the development of our Oracy Hub, launched in January 2025. When any new Oracy Framework is published, our Oracy content line, which already offers many resources that promote communication, teamwork and leadership across the primary age range, will be updated to ensure that teachers and leaders have the support and resources needed to design a speaking, listening, and communication curriculum that really meets their school’s individual needs.
This blog shares our early interpretation of the Curriculum Review recommendations, offering practical guidance to help schools consider their potential implications.
National Primary English Lead
National Primary English Lead, NPQ Lead Author, Local Authority English Advisor and Primary School English Lead.
Nicola is Twinkl’s National Primary English Lead, driving impactful English initiatives. With over 20 years of experience in education, she brings a lifelong love of literature and language to her work.
Her time as a Local Authority Literacy Adviser highlighted the transformative power of high-quality professional development for teachers and students alike. For over a decade, Nicola has worked nationally with leading UK organisations to shape best practices in English education.
To keep her approach fresh and research-informed, Nicola engages with a global network of English experts. This international collaboration fuels her work in developing comprehensive whole-school English solutions, spanning phonics, reading, writing, and oracy.
Through various media and training opportunities, Nicola empowers educators to deliver engaging and effective English instruction, ensuring every pupil can thrive.
