Answer extracted from the Education: Joining the Dots podcast — listen to the full episode below.
How does oracy development support other areas of literacy like writing and reading?
Talk before writing transforms how pupils think and express themselves—86% of staff at one secondary school report that oracy strategies directly supported students to complete higher quality extended pieces of writing. With reading, oracy turns it into a social, powerful activity where pupils share discoveries, debate ideas, and learn from each other's different perspectives and lived experiences.
Speaking First: The Bridge to Better Writing
When pupils talk through ideas before picking up a pen, they rehearse thought, test arguments, and build confidence. This verbal rehearsal acts as a natural scaffold for the written word. In one secondary school surveyed by Cabot Learning Federation, an overwhelming majority of staff confirmed that oracy strategies had a measurable positive impact on the quality of extended writing.
The evidence is striking: talking through a concept or story makes the transition to paper far less daunting. Pupils who have already shaped their thinking aloud write with greater clarity, structure, and depth. As Rachel Simons explains in the episode, this rehearsal time removes the anxiety often tied to blank pages and empowers young writers to take risks.
Reading as a Shared Conversation
Reading stops being a solitary task when oracy becomes central to classroom culture. Pupils learn most powerfully when they discuss what they've read, what moved them, and where they disagree. Each child brings their own lens shaped by experience and knowledge, turning a simple book into a window onto many different interpretations.
This collective meaning-making is not just engaging—it's transformative. When a pupil hears a classmate's perspective on a story, it deepens their own comprehension and teaches them that reading is alive, social, and endlessly discussable. The experience becomes incredibly empowering, signalling to pupils of all ages that their voice and interpretation matter. The rich detail of how schools embed this talk-rich reading culture is explored further in this podcast episode.
Rachel Simons — Reading Lead and Primary English Lead at Cabot Learning Federation, a large multi-academy trust of 35 settings across the southwest of England. Simons works within the school improvement team supporting all schools' adults and learners across primary, secondary, post-16, alternative and specialist provision, serving children from age two to 19.
See also
How have teachers' initial reservations about oracy development changed over time in the trust?
Teacher reservations diminished as educators gained knowledge and experience with oracy strategies. Structured implementation and clear evidence of impact helped shift perspectives within the school community.
What do pupils think about increased time for talk in schools, and what does pupil voice reveal?
Student surveys show a significant increase in pupils who value talking with classmates as a learning strategy. Pupil voice demonstrates growing recognition of collaborative discussion as central to academic progress.
How do schools in the trust identify speech and language or oracy needs across different age groups?
Early identification of speech and language needs is critical. Schools align assessment procedures to support inclusive excellence while ensuring every child's communication strengths are recognized and developed.
Key takeaways
- Talking through ideas before writing improves the quality, clarity, and depth of pupils' written work, as confirmed by 86% of secondary school staff using oracy strategies.
- Reading becomes a social, empowering experience when pupils discuss interpretations, share perspectives, and learn from classmates' different lived experiences and knowledge.
- Oracy acts as a scaffold across all literacy areas—verbal rehearsal builds confidence for writing, and collaborative discussion transforms reading from isolation into genuine meaning-making.
- Early access to talk-rich environments across age groups (from age two to 19) establishes a foundation where all pupils feel their voice and interpretation matter in learning.