A WIRRAL primary school has been awarded for its work developing pupils' speaking and listening skills.

St George’s Primary in Wallasey was one of only eleven to have their oracy achievements recognised by The Voice 21 Oracy Centre of Excellence.

The award certifies and celebrates schools who are changing the way they educate by supporting students to find their voice - and as a result are transforming their learning and life chances.

To secure its recognition, St George’s Primary had to demonstrate the quality of oracy education being provided across five areas of school life: their school’s vision, culture, curriculum, learning and impact on students.

As a Voice 21 Oracy Centre of Excellence, St George’s Primary will support other schools in the community and across the country, showcasing how oracy teaching can impact their students’ future education and employment opportunities.

Oracy has been shown to be as important as reading and numeracy in improving life outcomes for children and according to The Skills Imperative 2035, communication and collaboration skills are one of six ‘Essential Employment Skills’.

Laura Horton, assistant headteacher and Oracy Lead, said: “It has been amazing to lead on such a fantastic project.

“Through explicit teaching of oracy, we have seen all of our children grow in confidence and be able to share their thoughts and ideas confidently. At St George’s every child has a voice and every classroom is full of talk to support deeper thinking and learning.”

Laila, a year six pupil, said: “Oracy has helped me to feel more confident when I am having discussions in class.

“It has given me opportunities to listen to others and hear different thoughts and ideas which I use in my own work.”

Bernard Cassidy, Headteacher, said: “I have huge pride in this accreditation. The feedback from the Voice 21 panel was remarkable and captured all the best things about our school.

"It reflected on our amazing children, their ability to advocate using their voices and how our staff team have embraced the training and opportunities that working as part of the Voice 21 community has provided.

"I want to thank Mrs Horton and our oracy champions who have led on many aspects of our work"

The Voice 21 report summarised that: “St George’s approach to oracy is driven by their belief that the students who attend their school deserve the best education.

"Oracy is woven through every aspect of life at St George’s - stemming from a vision that makes clear that oracy is a vehicle to access curriculum whilst also being fundamental in its own right to help students to thrive socially, pastorally, emotionally and academically.

"It is clear from the brilliant application and impact presentation that oracy is a priority for all stakeholders, and time has been taken to ensure that everyone is included on every step of the school’s oracy journey."

In its 2021 report Speak for Change, the The Oracy All-Party Parliamentary Group highlighted the importance of oracy education to improve academic performance, underpin literacy and vocabulary, support wellbeing and confidence, and enable young people to access employment and thrive in life beyond school.