TAILORED GUIDANCE · EDUCATION CONSULTANCY
Oracy Training for Teachers
INSET & CPD for KS1–KS5
Help pupils think clearly, speak confidently and listen constructively. Practical, evidence-informed professional development tailored to your school and its curriculum.
Make purposeful talk part of every classroom
Good oracy is more than public speaking. It means helping young people explain their reasoning, ask worthwhile questions, listen actively, build on others’ contributions and speak with confidence in different settings.
Our teacher INSET and CPD sessions turn these goals into practical classroom routines that can work in English, mathematics, science, humanities and beyond. Schools can tailor the training to their phases, subjects, staff experience and improvement priorities.
The aim: engaging professional development with techniques teachers can apply in their very next lesson.
What teachers can take away
Clear, reusable approaches for speaking, listening and thinking across subjects.
Structured talk
Talk partners, sentence stems and discussion roles that make participation purposeful rather than incidental.
Confident expression
Age-appropriate presentations, storytelling, explanations, debate and feedback that support hesitant as well as fluent speakers.
Listening & reasoning
Questioning routines that develop attentive listening, justified answers and respectful disagreement.
Training adapted to Key Stages 1–5
Sessions are differentiated to suit the pupils your staff teach.
- KS1 (Years 1–2): turn-taking, vocabulary-rich talk, explaining ideas, listening and short presentations through playful routines.
- KS2 (Years 3–6): structured group discussion, collaborative reasoning, presentations and age-appropriate debate.
- KS3 (Years 7–9): subject-specific explanations, evidence-based discussion, debate and confidence in formal and informal speaking.
- KS4 (Years 10–11): precise academic explanations, discussion and argument, and spoken-language preparation where relevant to qualifications.
- KS5 (sixth form and college): seminars, academic and technical presentations, interviews, group discussions and preparation for work or further study.
England’s existing statutory English curriculum includes spoken-language requirements at KS1–KS4. KS5 training is tailored to post-16 courses and school priorities; there is no identical universal KS5 National Curriculum programme.
INSET formats to suit your school
Twilight CPD (60–90 minutes): an engaging introduction to practical, evidence-informed talk routines teachers can try immediately.
Half-day INSET: interactive modelling, subject-specific adaptations, collaborative planning and feedback approaches.
Full-day INSET: deeper work on progression and inclusive practice, staff rehearsal, departmental planning, assessment approaches and a realistic implementation plan.
Follow-up support: an optional review with school leaders or teaching teams to refine implementation and discuss what is working.
Sessions can be arranged online or, subject to availability and travel arrangements, in person. Each programme is quoted to match your needs.
Oracy in the curriculum: why now?
Spoken language already matters in England’s curriculum. Statutory requirements at primary level include listening, questioning, explaining, taking part in discussion and presenting. Across KS3 and KS4, speaking, discussion and debate continue to be important parts of English and wider learning.
On 15 October 2026, the Education Secretary announced the government’s intention to give oracy equal status to reading and writing as a new strand in the revised English curriculum. This is an announced reform, not a new statutory requirement already in force. Schools can prepare thoughtfully while teaching the curriculum currently in effect.
For practical classroom ideas, read our guide to the October 2026 oracy announcement and what it means for teachers.
Official sources: Education Secretary’s October 2026 speech · Current English programmes of study · Curriculum and Assessment Review.
Meet your consultant: Timothée Grillon
Timothée is a qualified science teacher (QTS and PGCE) with more than 15 years’ teaching experience. He has delivered over 1,000 public talks, including to audiences of up to 2,500 people, and brings together classroom knowledge and practical communication skills.
His approach is interactive and tailored to the needs of each school: not a lecture on why speaking matters, but a professional learning experience that helps teachers teach it more deliberately.
Discuss an INSET day for your school
Tell us your school phase, staff group, preferred format and the oracy challenges you would most like to address. We’ll discuss a suitable, tailored programme and provide a quotation.