Does an oracy intervention affect the way that teachers cope with students who challenge or worry them in some way?

The Voice 21: Improving oracy intervention funded by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) was focused upon improving the quality of classroom dialogue at the Y7 level. It has four key elements: (i) an oracy curriculum, which includes dedicated oracy lessons and strategies for building oracy in regular school lessons; (ii) a training package for school staff; (iii) strategies to build a whole-school oracy culture, including building oracy into assemblies and parents’ evenings, and (iv) an oracy assessment tool, which helps teachers to identify specific speaking and listening skills. Past research focussed upon oracy has established that oracy can lead to school age students achieving substantially improved skills in maths, science, and reasoning. This study attempts to develop an understanding of how vulnerable students were thought about and engaged with in a school that had recently completed the EEF intervention. Five teachers were interviewed and asked about their experiences of working with students perceived as challenging or worrying before and after the intervention, and about the possible impact of the intervention on relationships among students and teachers in the school. A social constructivist epistemological position was adopted and a grounded theory methodology was used. Teachers reported that students developed skills in listening and relating to other students, which contributed to improved relations among students. Teachers also reflected that the intervention offered them the space to develop more trusting and close relationships with students. Oracy was described as serving students who were challenging or worrying by helping teachers to identify students with language difficulties, by giving students who attracted negative attention opportunities to participate positively in school and by offering students who were otherwise socially vulnerable tools to present their ideas, and a platform from which to influence the school culture.