Our Voices Are Heard!

In our latest blog post, our Head of English Mrs Rodliffe discusses oracy, and why it matters so much for our students...

Everyone knows that reading and writing are the bread and butter of English lessons, but bread and butter on their own can be a little dry, a little unexciting. What brings the English curriculum to life is conversation and discussion, challenge and debate, liveliness and laughter. A writer’s words exist on a page, and when we write so do ours, but as soon as we express ideas orally they fly around the classroom, free as birds.

And we never have the same discussion twice. Our experienced English teachers have taught some texts many times, yet all agree that the oral discussions that come from them change each year. Teachers love being flabbergasted by an idea they have not heard before, or being asked a question they have previously not considered. Such is the exciting power of oracy!

But it’s not just about the English department. All staff at Redmaids’ High have been focusing on oracy this year in INSET sessions. We’ve developed some key strategies in the classroom, with girls in any year group now encouraged to use her “whole class voice” in class discussion. We regularly ask students to “turn and talk” to their partner, encouraging eye-contact where possible, and careful listening skills. When students feed back ideas to the class, a teacher might say, “Elevate your answer!” suggesting they extend their ideas orally to bring greater depth and development to what has already been said. We have also given guidance to students about how they might begin to share ideas, starting with, “I notice that…” before asking a partner, “What do you think?” To encourage the building of ideas, they might then begin their next comment, “Following on from what you said...” These prompts are designed to give confidence to all our students, particularly those who find sharing their ideas orally more challenging.

We also believe in giving students plenty of opportunities to extend their spoken skills beyond the classroom, in various extracurricular activities. All students in any year group are invited to our Debating Club which meets once a week, and we hold House Debating competitions in Years 7, 8 and 9, and a senior competition for Years 10-13. For those students who want to compete against other schools, we enter various public-speaking competitions, such as Rotary Youth Speaks, ESU, Oxford Schools, the Mace and the Gabblers Club. Each year we enjoy success: this year our Year 9 team are through to the Rotary Final, and will compete at Clifton College later this month against teams from all over the south west.

But oracy skills are also vital in enabling us to connect with others, to articulate our feelings in ways that forge bonds of empathy rather than stoke divisions, and to develop the listening and collaboration skills which are essential qualities in improving future relationships. At Redmaids’ High we celebrate the power of words to help us connect with others starting in Year 7, where each student will attend a series of well-being sessions when they are encouraged to share worries and explore some helpful coping strategies. Higher up the School, our Year 12 students have the opportunity to train as Well-being Ambassadors who will meet Year 7-9 students to offer them individual support. As part of our enrichment activities, Year 12 and 13 learn how to communicate with the older generation through weekly visits to Abbots Leigh Nursing Home. Our Reading Buddies programme allows students to read with younger girls in the Junior School, and our Chatterbox Club is run by the Year 12's to forge links between the upper and lower school in fun and relaxed sessions.

So, in a world where we are worried about the influence of AI in all its different forms, we believe that strong oracy skills will always be of value, perhaps increasingly so. AI might seem to have all the answers, but in an interview, a meeting, a consultation, a courtroom, a classroom, a hospital ward, or wherever else our students might find themselves working, clear presenting, careful listening, probing questioning and confident responses will always serve them well.

It is our aim to produce fearless communicators and compassionate listeners who will “share their dreams with the world”, to (almost) quote our school song. We hope that when they leave us, they will recognise the strength of their own voices, and use them for good wherever the future takes them.

Mrs Clare Rodliffe, Head of English

To learn more about our school curriculum and the wonderful opportunities that we offer, come and visit us at our next Open Event, Tuesday 5 May, we'd love to meet you! To register your place, please click HERE.