Improving oracy across a trust to address rising speech and language needs

Across this West Midlands MAT, SEND data highlighted rising speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) alongside uneven impact of existing provision. With senior-leader buy-in, the trust prioritised oracy through a collaborative Professional Development Group, enabling SENDCos and Teaching & Learning leads to co-construct school-specific projects. Actions included protected collaboration time, shared CPD, peer visits, trust-wide adoption of tools (e.g. Voice 21), and integration of oracy as a three-year teaching priority. Evidence of impact includes visibly language-rich environments, increased pupil confidence, improved access to mainstream learning for pupils from resource provision, positive parental feedback, and strengthened trust-wide consistency and culture around communication.