Keir Starmer calls for compulsory ‘speaking fluency’ lessons in schools saying being able to express yourself is as important as reading and writing
Keir Starmer today pledged compulsory ‘speaking fluency’ lessons in state schools – insisting verbal skills are as important as reading and writing.
The Labour leader said teaching children to express themselves should get more priority at all stages of education.
Pointing out that pupils with a poor level of language at the age of five were significantly less likely to reach expected English standards at 11, Sir Keir said the ability to articulate ideas is essential for ‘getting on and thriving in life’.
The comments, in an article for The Times, come as Labour sets out its final ‘mission’ on education.
Sir Keir said the current ‘almost exclusive’ focus on reading and writing was ‘short-sighted’. He suggested that the state sector needed to learn from the private sector, which has put far more emphasis on oral skills.
Keir Starmer said teaching children to express themselves should get more priority at all stages of education
Pointing out that pupils with a poor level of language at the age of five were significantly less likely to reach expected English standards at 11, Sir Keir said the ability to articulate ideas is essential for ‘getting on and thriving in life’ (file picture)
‘The ability to speak well and express yourself should be something that every child is entitled to and every child should master,’ Sir Keir wrote.
‘Yet, at the moment, the curriculum doesn’t allow us to deliver this. This is short-sighted. An inability to articulate yourself fluently is a key barrier to getting on and thriving in life.
‘It’s key to doing well in that crucial job interview, persuading a business to give you a refund, telling your friend something awkward. Oracy is a skill that can and must be taught.’
Sir Keir said being capable of speaking fluently ‘opens up a lifetime of empowerment’.
He insisted that bringing up the standards in state schools would help break the ‘class ceiling’ for children from poorer backgrounds.
Yes, it’s in part about good public speaking and debating skills, but in reality, it is about so much more,’ he wrote.
‘Above all else it’s about something very precious – finding your voice.
‘To work out who you are and what you believe. If reading opens up a world of imagination and possibility, then speaking and listening opens up a lifetime of empowerment – a chance for those who too often feel invisible in their own country, to be heard.’
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