At a glance
Empowering educators with the skills, strategies, and confidence to embed oracy in their teaching, fostering a culture of confident communication and creating inclusive classrooms where every student feels heard, valued, and empowered to contribute.
Practical oracy training for educators
Our CPD workshops equip educators with practical, research-backed strategies to embed oracy seamlessly into their teaching. Through interactive activities – such as structured discussions, debates, and inclusive classroom techniques – teachers learn how to create engaging learning environments that encourage active participation and critical thinking.
Embedding the ESU’s four key oracy skill sets into teaching practice
Our CPD offering focuses on embedding the ESU’s four key oracy skill sets into teaching practice.
Organisation & Prioritisation: Supporting students in structuring their thoughts, prioritising key ideas and presenting them clearly and effectively.
Listening & Response: Teaching students to actively listen, interpret others’ arguments and engage in meaningful dialogue with considered, thoughtful responses.
Expression & Delivery: Helping students communicate with clarity and confidence, focusing on voice projection, articulation, tone and physical presence.
Reasoning & Evidence: Encouraging students to think critically, justify their ideas with evidence and construct persuasive, logical arguments.
Key benefits & value for teachers
Enhancing teacher expertise in oracy
Our CPD workshops are designed to build teachers’ confidence in delivering oracy-based activities, such as guided discussions, structured debates and collaborative speaking exercises. We equip educators with practical teaching strategies and resources to enhance their ability to foster effective communication skills in the classroom.
Meeting curriculum goals
Our CPD workshops support schools in meeting the growing emphasis on communication, critical thinking and collaboration within modern curricula. By embedding oracy into teaching, we help schools fulfil curriculum requirements while simultaneously fostering key life skills in students. The development of skills such as effective communication, argumentation and public speaking directly contributes to improving literacy, reasoning and analysis.
Improving student outcomes
The focus of our CPD training is to drive measurable improvements in student outcomes across academic and personal development. Teachers who are trained in oracy are better positioned to cultivate environments where students excel in oral assessments, engage confidently in discussions and articulate their ideas effectively. This empowerment fosters a growth in student self-esteem, motivation and critical thinking abilities — traits that not only elevate academic performance but also prepare students for higher education and successful careers in the workplace.
Accessible and practical training for educators
Our CPD programmes are specifically designed to offer accessible, practical training that can be seamlessly integrated into educators’ schedules. We understand the challenges of finding time for professional development, which is why our workshops are adaptable and focused on delivering tangible, classroom-ready strategies. Our sessions are structured to provide maximum value with minimal disruption, ensuring that educators are able to immediately implement what they learn and make a positive impact on their teaching practices.
‘Really insightful and nice to know that we are all using a collective language. It gave me different thoughts on how to do things.’
Ormiston Academy Trust, CPD session held in January 2025
Workshop delivery formats
Designed for flexibility, our workshops are tailored to meet the unique needs of schools and multi-academy trusts. In-person sessions can be delivered as a twilight series, half-day or full-day training, with options to support specific priorities, such as boosting student confidence or embedding oracy across the curriculum.
Half-day workshops. The half-day session is designed to boost staff confidence in articulating the concept of oracy and its significant impact on students’ academic outcomes. It also provides practical, easy-to-implement strategies that can be applied in the classroom immediately.
- Duration: 2hours, 30 minutes
- Price: £625 + VAT.
Full-day workshops. The full-day session builds on the foundational knowledge of oracy from the half-day, providing a deeper understanding of how to implement it effectively in the classroom. It also offers the opportunity to explore how oracy aligns with the school’s broader curriculum. In the afternoon, our expert CPD facilitator leads staff through a reflective activity, helping them develop a more focused approach to embedding oracy within specific departments or topics across the school’s teaching practices.
- Duration: 5 hours
- Price: £1,095 + VAT.
Twilight workshops. The twilight sessions encompass all the elements of the full-day programme – understanding oracy, practical strategies and embedding oracy within your curriculum – along with an additional session focused on creating a scheme of work. The twilight format also enables your staff to integrate oracy as an ongoing theme in their teaching. Our oracy CPD experts are available across consecutive sessions to provide guidance and support in incorporating oracy effectively into practice.
- Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes x 3
- Price: £ 1,450 + VAT.
Virtual workshops. Our virtual workshops are designed to provide accessible, high-quality professional development for schools where in-person training is not feasible. They are particularly suited for international schools outside the UK, offering a practical way to develop oracy skills without the need for travel.
Each virtual session lasts 1.5 hours and is structured to fit within busy teaching schedules while delivering impactful training on oracy. These interactive sessions include practical strategies, real-world examples, and opportunities for discussion, ensuring that educators can immediately apply their learning in the classroom.
• Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Price: £300 + VAT.
More details
When: Sessions can be scheduled at a time convenient for your school. We offer CPD throughout the year, including the option of a series of twilight evening sessions. Additionally, we have an ‘open to all’ CPD offer available at Dartmouth House throughout the year, where teachers can book individual places. These opportunities are advertised via our monthly teacher newsletter.
Where: CPD can be delivered either at the school or at our headquarters in London.
Who: The sessions are suitable for all primary and secondary teachers and educators. Training is led by our expert Oracy Leaders.
Registered charity number: 273136