Embedding oracy in teaching helps multilingual pupils thrive

Teachers in Hampshire can now access free, evidence-based resources designed to embed oracy in the classroom, supporting pupils’ speaking, listening and communication skills.

This launch comes as the Government’s Curriculum review prepares to introduce a new oracy framework, signalling a national commitment to embedding talk-rich teaching across the curriculum. Oracy – the ability to express oneself fluently and confidently through spoken language – is essential to giving young people the skills for life and work.

With one in five pupils in England learning English as an additional language, the need for high-quality oracy support has never been more urgent. A British Academy-funded project led by Professor Naomi Flynn at the Institute of Education, in partnership with Hampshire’s Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS), has shown how embedding oracy into everyday teaching can boost outcomes for multilingual pupils.

The research findings are published in a new report, which highlights why talk-rich teaching matters and helps teachers adopt oracy practices in the classroom.

Professor Flynn explained: “Our findings show that embedding oracy into everyday teaching works. It helps multilingual learners thrive academically and socially, and it promotes inclusive classrooms where every child’s voice is heard.”

For multilingual learners, talk-rich teaching provides the foundation for learning English while valuing their home languages. In classrooms where teachers talk less, children talk more, and that shift is transforming pupils’ confidence. It also fosters inclusion and a sense of belonging - critical for pupils from minoritised groups.

New Talk-Rich Teaching Toolkit boosts oracy in the classroom

The project combined research evidence with EMTAS expertise to design the TalkRich Teaching Toolkit, an online resource that schools could adapt to their own priorities. The toolkit is built around five principles: school belonging, talk-rich teaching, inquiry-led learning, collaboration and small group work. It provides quick guidance, adaptable activities and resources for teachers, leaders and support staff.

Nine Hampshire schools piloted the toolkit, making small but powerful changes: reducing teacher talk, using sentence starters to scaffold dialogue and creating smaller discussion groups.

Teachers reported that pupils, who were previously reluctant to speak, began to engage, ask questions and share ideas. Traveller children were more involved in group work and multilingual learners grew in confidence.

The research report calls for clearer policy emphasis on oracy and practical resources that schools can adapt locally. It shows that oracy education works for multilingual learners and fosters inclusion, but success depends on resources that are easy to use and align with school priorities.

While The Talk‑Rich Teaching Toolkit is currently available to Hampshire teachers, plans are underway to roll it out nationally in 2026, making these resources accessible to schools across the UK.

Hampshire teachers can access the toolkit through the EMTAS Moodle. They will receive an email from EMTAS with information on how to sign up to get access.

Please cite report as:

Flynn, N., Lippmann, I. N., Coles, S., Barker, C., Dinneen, A., Smith, H., Grant, K., Lancaster, M., Chinnery, L. and Maguire, T. (2025) Improving schools’ oracy education for multilingual and Gypsy Roma Traveller pupils: The Talk-Rich Teaching Toolkit. Report. University of Reading, DOI: 10.48683/1926.00125570.

For more information on bringing oracy education to classrooms to improve teaching for multilingual learners, please visit Talk-Rich Teaching©.