An education fit for the future…
Talk The Talk
The promises of a keynote speech from Keir Starmer this week.
As we embark on a new week here at Talk The Talk, we are buoyed by the Labour leaders vow (and oratory skills) to make every school leaver “ready for work and ready for life” with a pledge to include practical skills such as; pension planning and understanding credit scores in a revamped curriculum.
However, how much of that revamped curriculum includes a foundation of oracy skills to encompass an education fit for the future and a new generation of articulate confident young people?
In April 2021 we announced that the Oracy All-Party Parliamentary Group published its final Speak for Change Inquiry report, highlighting the devastating impact of the pandemic on the already marked spoken ‘language gap’ between disadvantaged students and their peers.
This week we are delighted to announce the release of equally insightful research undertaken by the Skills Builder Partnership.
Essential ingredients for success
The ability to communicate effectively is an essential ingredient to both success in school and beyond.
A principle both Talk The Talk and Skills Builder Partnership share, to ensure that every child and young person build these essential skills as a normal part of a good education.
This piece of important research channels the voices of teachers and their motivations around building essential skills for their learners. It also explores the barriers teachers face, as well as where wider policy change is needed to ensure that every teacher is supported and equipped to build the essential skills of their students.
Our work with teachers resonates with the five key motivators found in the research, teaching essential skills to prepare students for life and supporting students’ career development and employability to quote two of them.
It’s no surprise teachers are frustrated by the lack of time and training due to a full curriculum and wider policy restrictions, with regard to the value placed on essential skills and the ripple effect this causes. Not to mention the reduced scope for collaboration between educational institutions.
Yet there are solutions to overcome these barriers and they are not unreasonable, insurmountable, impractical or out of the question.
What is reasonable to request, and as the report highlights, is that change is needed at a policy level to move towards a more supportive education system, which places higher value on the teaching of essential skills.
Are you listening Keir Starmer? You can access the full research report here.
Categories: News
