Talk is important at our school where pupils are encouraged to find their own voice to change the world. We teach pupils how to speak with clarity and conviction, how to listen carefully and how to take part in powerful and productive conversations. Talk infuses every aspect of our school curriculum whether that be storytelling, role play, performing or listening carefully to each other. We enable pupils to learn about what matters, and to understand how to effect real change in their school, their community and the world.
We began working with Voice 21 as a partner school in 2019 to build a whole school culture which values and celebrates students’ voices. We have specialist leadership for oracy within the academy, developing and implementing best practice and supporting our students to learn to talk and through talk.
We are proud to have been recognised as a Voice 21 Centre of Oracy Excellence, meaning that we are at the forefront of the latest oracy research and innovation. We have mapped oracy opportunities and progression from EYFS to Year 11. Classroom practice is supported by our Voice Toolkit and high-quality CPDL.
Details of speaking and listening progression from EYFS to Year 11 can be viewed here: Speaking and Listening Progression across the Curriculum
Voice at The Halifax Academy
Year 7 learn all about The Oracy Framework through a range of team games in their Voice lessons, such as ‘The 1 to 20 Game’.
