We are a Voice 21 Oracy Centre of Excellence

(One of only 55 schools in England and 2 in Sefton)

We are proud to have been recognised as a Voice 21 Oracy Centre of Excellence for our work in developing students’ oracy (speaking and listening) skills.

Being accredited as a Voice 21 Centre of Excellence certifies and celebrates that we are leading the way in providing a high-quality oracy education for students and acting as a beacon of good practice for over 1000 schools nationwide.

In Voice 21 Oracy Schools, students learn the oracy skills they need to succeed in school and in life.

Why oracy matters?

By teaching students to become effective speakers and listeners we empower them to better understand themselves, each other and the world around them.

● Speaking and listening skills are critical foundations for reading and writing.

● Students with better oral language skills are more likely to achieve the highest grades in GCSE Maths and English.

● Young people with good communication skills are less likely to have mental health difficulties.

As a Voice 21 Oracy Centre of Excellence, we put oracy at the heart of our teaching and learning across all subject areas, enabling students to develop and deepen their knowledge and understanding through talk in the classroom.

We support our students to become articulate communicators who are able to present themselves confidently across a range of settings and contexts, from group discussions to formal presentations.

“All staff know they play an important role in the oracy vision with teachers skilfully planning and delivering sequences of learning which explicitly address the skills from the Oracy Framework. The strong vision is seen in the day to day teaching & curriculum choices and is evident in the school culture. Focused on empowering and valuing unique and diverse voices, oracy assemblies provide plenty of opportunities for children to engage with a variety of important topics. A hybrid of live and virtual assemblies accompanied by a newsletter featuring talking prompts means that pupils can lead the conversation with parents”. (Voice 21 Oracy Centres of Excellence 2025)

“Empowering and valuing unique and diverse voices”

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