Pearson welcomes plans to put oracy at the heart of English education
We welcome the Education Secretary's commitment to give oracy equal status to reading and writing and to make speaking, listening and communication a core part of every child's education.
Embedding these skills more strongly across the curriculum is an important opportunity to help more young people develop the communication skills and confidence they need for further study, employment and wider life. This should include careful consideration of how oracy (speaking and listening), can be recognised meaningfully within the future GCSE English Language qualification.
As part of our Let’s Talk English campaign, we spoke to a wide range of stakeholders and found that fewer than 1 in 10 teachers feel that the GCSE English curriculum builds students’ confidence in speaking and listening*.
Our oracy report also found that any speaking and listening assessment must be fair and accessible, produce valid and reliable results, be supported by clear delivery, moderation and quality assurance arrangements, and remain manageable for teachers.
Pearson looks forward to working with Ofqual, government, teachers, students and other stakeholders to help shape an approach that recognises the value of speaking and listening while maintaining high standards.
*TeacherTapp survey, February 2025, c.800 respondents.
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