We are delighted to announce the winning schools for this year’s ESU Oracy Culture Award: King Edward VI School, Morpeth (secondary) and Llanedeyrn Primary School (primary).
This year the field was extremely strong, and we would like to commend all schools for the fantastic work they are doing to create a sustainable culture of oracy across their curricula and in the wider community.
Llanedeyrn Primary are the first primary school winners of the Oracy Culture Award. It was particularly commended by the judges for the way it has spread oracy across the whole school, and has allowed students of all abilities to take part. Within its application, it highlighted the benefits that its oracy programmes have had on one student in particular:
‘A pupil in Year 3 who constantly blushed when she spoke now still blushes slightly but uses her breathing techniques to ensure that this does not hamper her ability to get her words across. [She] knows that by relaxing and taking her time, she is able to control this response and can then effectively communicate her ideas and thoughts.’
The judges were also delighted by the work being done by King Edward VI School to introduce a culture of oracy into other schools. It has been working with its partner first schools and middle schools to set up debate clubs for younger students, and students from King Edward VI School have been going into local primary schools to run debating workshops. The school is also planning to start running its own debating competitions with other schools in the area.
Both winning schools have been invited to attend the ESU Schools’ Mace national final in London on 25 March, where they will be presented with a trophy and a voucher for a free Discover Your Voice session for up to 24 students.
Arbourthorne Community Primary School in Sheffield; Ansford Academy, Somerset, and St. Peter’s, York, were all also highly commended by the judges.
