More than 140 Middle Leaders took part in the COBIS Programme for Middle Leaders in 2023/24, with cohorts running in Bucharest, Cayman Islands, Lagos, Lisbon, Marbella, Mumbai, Munich, Muscat, Riyadh, Rome, and The Hague. In 2024/25, we expect open cohorts to run in Greece, India, Italy, Portugal, Nigeria, Oman, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Switzerland, and […]
What is oracy? Oracy refers to the development and practice of speaking and listening skills. It emphasises the ability to communicate effectively, articulate thoughts, and engage in meaningful discussions. A focus on oracy aims to cultivate students’ confidence in verbal expression, active listening, and the ability to construct and convey coherent arguments. It plays a […]
What is the purpose of this webinar? This webinar is part of a series around curriculum enrichment in primary schools as part of the extensive Rethinking Curriculum project. This series aims to support and equip both teachers and school leaders with the knowledge and skills to identify, plan and implement curriculum development work in a […]
This is a collection of research articles, case studies, webinars and other relevant resources to further develop your understanding of oracy. We have ensured that these are open access or available to members of The Chartered College of Teaching. The resources collated here will not provide a recipe for what you should do. Some of […]
Voice 21 have kindly provided two case studies from schools they have been working with to implement an oracy focussed curriculum. These have been working with the Voice 21 resources specifically but many of the challenges and implementation methods can be universally seen in schools who have focussed upon oracy. Thanks go to Voice 21 […]
Hydeh Fayaz, Acting Deputy Headteacher at St Matthew’s Primary School Oracy, ‘learning how to talk and learning through talk’, enables our pupils in Nechells, Birmingham, to flourish. In a world where a critical eye is necessary, a sense of self among young people is vital and a voice to advocate is powerful, oracy is one […]
James Seargant, Headteacher at Wyborne Primary School in South East London Our commitment to experiential learning lies at the core of our curriculum. In simple terms, experiential learning can be defined as ‘challenge and experience followed by reflection, leading to learning and growth’ (AEE, 2024). At Wyborne, a diverse community primary school in South East […]
The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Pedagogy carried out a Rapid Research Review at the beginning of the Rethinking Curriculum project. This outlines various findings around experiential learning in primary schools and what should be considered in this approach. We draw on this comprehensive research review to provide a summary of the approach, along with potential […]
Professor Bill Lucas, Director, Centre for Real-World Learning, University of Winchester, UK; Co-founder, Rethinking Assessment, UK Since 1918, success at school in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has been largely judged by means of high-stakes, standardised examinations at the end of secondary education, with the School Certificate for 16-year-olds and the Higher School Certificate two […]
SHIREEN BABUL LALJI, TEACHING AND LEARNING, BIGLAND GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL, UK ELENA HUNN RODIGAN, INCLUSION LEAD AND ASSISTANT HEADTEACHER, BIGLAND GREEN PRIMARY SCHOOL, UK CHARLOTTE MOSEY, ASSISTANT HEAD OF PRIMARY ITT/E, UNIVERSITY OF DERBY, UK JACK BRYNE STOTHARD, SENIOR LECTURER IN POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF DERBY, UK Introduction Adaptive teaching as a concept is a key part of the […]
ALISTAIR CRAWFORD, NATIONAL NETWORK OF SPECIALIST PROVISION (NNSP), UK This article explores aspirations and meaningful outcomes beyond the school gates through the perspective of ‘experts by experience’. … this problem of deficit framing is located within the wider societal issue of the meritocracy, life’s “sorting principle” which has narrowed what we perceive a “good life” […]
DR FRAN WILBY, RETHINKING ASSESSMENT, UK Internationally, there has been some challenge in recent years to the efficacy of exams as the sole measure of a young person’s life and work readiness. In some regions, learner profiles are garnering particular interest as an alternative. Student-owned digital records may offer an opportunity to highlight learning, strengths […]
Alex Tomkins, Headteacher, Greenside School and EdD student, University of Derby, UK Assessment of students with SEND has been under debate for a long time, with several significant changes over the past few years. This article shares the journey on which special schools have been in terms of guidance on assessment, as well as how […]
SEUNGAH LEE, ART & DESIGN TEACHER, NO FRAME ART & EDUCATION, SOUTH KOREA LOUISA HORNER, LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT LEAD, CATS GLOBAL SCHOOLS, UK Studying art can be a culture shock. In fact, it should be a culture shock. Art students in the UK are faced with expectations to create original artwork and not imitate, but […]
GRAHAM CHISNELL FCCT, EDUCATION CONSULTANT AND AUTHOR, UK Classroom talk that engages students in dialogue to stimulate and extend thinking, knowing and understanding can have a powerful and positive impact on student learning (Alexander, 2020). In this reflective piece, I examine how embedding a culture of dialogic teaching in school impacts on teacher engagement and student […]
Adam Kohlbeck, Deputy Headteacher, Birkbeck Primary School, UK Why is feedback worth our thinking? In 2016, Ofsted produced its report ‘Eliminating unnecessary workload around marking’, placing teacher workload at the forefront of leadership thinking. For many, written marking as a means of post-lesson assessment is not something that has ever been questioned. The Education Endowment […]
AIMEE WILLIAMS, DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT, THREE SPIRES TRUST, UK Introduction In the ever-evolving landscape of education, the impact of influential figures like Dylan William cannot be overstated. For the uninitiated, his influential work on feedback in the classroom emphasises the importance of formative assessment as a powerful tool for improving student learning and ‘moving […]
SARAH CUNLIFFE, LEON WALKER AND REBECCA MORRIS, UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK, UK Do I really know enough about the understanding of my pupils to be able to help each of them? It was the summer of 2015 and we (Sarah and Leon) had just read this excerpt from Inside the Black Box (Black and Wiliam, 1998, […]
EMOKE MIHALY, THE ENGLISH MODERN SCHOOL WAKRA, DOHA, QATAR Introduction In my decade-long journey as a primary school teacher within international school settings, I have explored the different aspects of providing effective feedback to young students in order to improve their learning. Building on Hattie’s (2009) influential meta-analysis, which underlines the impact of feedback on […]
AMARBEER SINGH GILL, TEACHER EDUCATOR, AMBITION INSTITUTE, UK JENNIFER CURRAN, RESEARCH SCIENTIST, AMBITION INSTITUTE, UK We [often] question the judgement of experts whenever we seek out a second opinion on a medical diagnosis. Unfortunately, when it comes to our own knowledge and opinions, we often favor feeling right over being right… We need to develop the habit […]
