This webinar will offer practical ideas and tips for how primary schools can teach oracy skills as part of wider support for speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).

The discussion is inspired by the publication earlier this year of GL Assessment’s Lost for Words research, which revealed teachers’ concerns about pupils’ deteriorating speech and language issues since Covid-19 lockdowns. The research finds that:

• Almost half of the surveyed primary teachers estimate that 20% of their pupils have speech and language issues; more than a third believe this figure to be as high as 40%.
• Nearly half of the surveyed primary teachers warn that it is easy to mistake speech and language issues for maths and literacy problems.
• Almost 9 in 10 primary school teachers think speech and language skills have worsened since 2020.

At the same time, it is estimated that 10% of children will be affected by long-term and persistent SLCN (Public Health England, 2020) and that around 4 in 10 of those will go through school unidentified (Communication Trust, 2014).

And the Listening to unheard children report (Speech and Language UK, 2023) estimated that 1.9 million children (1 in 5) are behind with their talking and/or understanding of words. It found that children who struggle to talk and understand words are six times more likely to be behind in English and 11 times more likely to be behind in maths at age 11.

This makes early identification and intervention crucial, and this work begins in the early years and primary school.

In this webinar we will focus on how primary schools can boost oracy skills for all pupils, including those with SLCN, offering discussion around whole-school approaches as well as practical ideas and tips for in the classroom and for pupils of all ages – from reception to year 6.

The webinar will feature case studies from at least two primary schools doing excellent work in this area as well as expert input including from GL Assessment and Speech and Language UK. The webinar will also include an audience Q&A and the session will also be available to watch on catch-up.

ABOUT OUR WEBINAR PARTNER
GL Assessment, part of Renaissance, is a leading provider of formative assessments to schools and school groups in the UK and in more than 100 countries worldwide. It provides assessments that help to reveal students’ potential, track their progress and identify any barriers to learning.

WellComm allows users to assess for speech, language and communication issues and provide interventions that can be immediately used with children. It is used by early years settings, primary schools, speech and language therapists, and health visitors, and it is also widely used as an early identification tool to identify and support children with SLCN across local authorities.

Digital versions of WellComm Early Years (from six months to six years) and WellComm Primary (six to 11-year-olds) are now available alongside the existing paper editions. Practitioners work through a guided observation with a child on a tablet or laptop. Targeted activities, 150 in total, are presented automatically to help address the specific issues uncovered. These activities can be shared digitally with parents and carers.

Visit www.gl-assessment.co.uk/go/wellcomm-digital

MEET OUR EXPERTS
The podcast will be hosted by Headteacher Update editor Pete Henshaw. His guests will be:

Emma Warsop: Emma is Assistant Headteacher at Streatham Wells Primary School in Lambeth, with more than 15 years of experience in education. She has worked across three London boroughs and held a range of leadership roles, including literacy specialist leader of education and lead moderator. Emma is currently the literacy lead at her school, where she plays a key role in curriculum development and staff training. The school has a large and growing community of children with SLCN and so a current focus is developing oracy through whole school inclusive practices. Emma is passionate about the power of spoken language in learning and is leading a whole-school initiative to embed oracy more deeply into classroom practice.

Maxine Low: Maxine is Executive Headteacher at Brooklands Farm Primary School, which has more than 1,350 pupils aged 3 to 11 on roll and is split across two sites in Milton Keynes. Brooklands Farm was graded outstanding by Ofsted after its most recent inspection. The school holds the Voice 21 Centre of Excellence Award for its oracy education. SLCN is a priority at Brooklands Farm and the school uses oracy as the umbrella term to describe all of the SLCN strands explored in a developmental curriculum where talk is valued.

Gail Vaughan-Hodkinson: Gail is a Speech and Language Advisor for Speech and Language UK. Gail has worked in education for more than 30 years as a nursery and primary school teacher, assistant head, early years consultant teacher and as the early years lead for a local authority. She now works as an advisor for Speech and Language UK delivering projects in the North West of England. Gail has spent most of her career working in areas of high economic and social deprivation, where speech and language development has been an on-going challenge for many children. She was instrumental in establishing TALK Halton, a project aimed at raising children’s achievement in speech, language and communication. Gail is currently working on projects involving rolling out Talk Boost KS1 and Early Talk Boost Intervention Programmes into pre-schools, nurseries and primary schools. She is also working with Family Hubs to deliver quality training and resources to teams that support families with the development of early language.

Kirsty MacDonald: Kirsty is Senior Programme Manager, Early Years, at the National Literacy Trust. A former primary school teacher and Family Literacy Manager, she works to support the National Literacy Trust’s vision that every child starts school with the language and communication skills ready to grow and learn. Across 20 communities in the UK, the National Literacy Trust’s Early Words Matter campaign collaborates with local organisations, businesses, and community members to deliver support to families and resources and training to the early years sector that will empower parents and carers to build their child’s language, communication and literacy skills from the very start.

Georgina Cook: Georgina is an Education Specialist, Advisor and a Specialist in Language and Literacy working with Renaissance. A former teacher and a former MAT English leader, Georgina champions GL Assessment’s language and literacy assessments including the New Group Reading Test, Progress Test Series, and WellComm. She works closely with schools and GL Assessment’s product team to develop resources that support classroom needs. Georgina is also a chair of governors at a secondary school.