Episode Details

Tom Rogers is joined by secondary HOD and oracy enthusiast Louise Pickering to explore how she is approaching Oracy development in her school.

She shares her insights from leading an impactful oracy initiative at Weavers Academy. Louise discusses why oracy is a vital skill for students, especially in relation to equity, life chances, and long-term success, and how it can be a powerful lever for closing attainment gaps.

We dive into the practical steps her team took to embed oracy across the school, the challenges they faced, and how staff CPD and modelling played a key role. Louise also shares how instructional coaching can be used to develop staff oracy and build a culture of effective communication throughout a school. If you're a leader looking to make oracy a priority in your setting, don’t miss Louise’s top three tips for getting started.