The case for assessing oracy in primary and secondary schools in England

Abstract The recognition of the importance of supporting children to learn to, and through, talk (often referred to as ‘oracy’) increasingly has prominence in educational and political discourse. However in the past decade the assessment of spoken language has been removed from GCSE exams, and nothing has replaced this vital measure of communication at a fundamental point in young people's progression. This article argues that this has helped to ensure oracy - speaking and listening - remains on the periphery, when increasingly evidence indicates that it should be central to all children and young people's education.