"BECOMING TALK RICH" CAN ORACY BE EMBEDDED IN TEACHERS' PRACTICE WITHIN SIX MONTHS?

This abstract explores the implementation of oracy in a mainstream secondary school in East Sussex. The school's strategic goals for the academic year were to develop oracy across the school, improve the attainment of the lowest attaining learners, and ensure a coherent and embedded curriculum. The research aimed to evaluate how teachers perceived the professional learning program and its impact on their teaching practice. The findings revealed that oracy is seen as a moral imperative and valuable for all learners, but there are barriers to its implementation, such as time constraints and classroom management challenges. The research suggests that professional development should have a clear focus, be immediately applicable, and address differentiation and collaborative opportunities. The study concludes with recommendations for school leaders to maintain a singular focus on oracy, convince teachers of its value, differentiate support, and address classroom management challenges. Further research is suggested to explore the impact of oracy on learners with developmental language delay.