Autumn- Winter ESB News Version 1

ESB is taking a leading role as a member of the Oracy Network in a recently formed APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Group) on oracy. The APPG – Speak for Change - is championing the value of good speaking and listening skills and the need for oracy to be reflected in educational policy making and curriculum development. Tina Renshaw, says: “This APPG is a subject close to all our hearts at ESB so we are delighted to be taking such a prominent role in the inquiry as a member of the Oracy Network. From its inception, ESB’s primary objective has been to promote clear communication across society - stretching the most able and supporting the least confident, so we have a unique contribution that we can make to this oracy debate. “For nearly 70 years we have been assessing the speaking and listening, Spoken English and communication skills of learners in primary, secondary and tertiary education, and employees in workplace settings. Such history of assessment practice presents an exceptional insight as to the value and impact, provision and access and barriers in oracy education.” The APPG, chaired by Labour’s Emma Hardy and co-chaired by the Conservative Party’s William Wragg, has already been well received with more than a dozen MPs pledging their support and with a number of oracy-minded organisations getting involved. Our role in this Oracy Network involves us submitting ‘evidence’ to prove how beneficial oracy skills are for young people.

Elaine Rudduck, Chief Examiner at the launch of the

inquiry held in Parliament

This has taken the form of us collecting video clips from learners, teachers, assessors, ESB stakeholders, ESB centres and ESB Young Speakers and Ambassadors. Tina Renshaw has also been representing ESB at APPG meetings. As part of our initiative, we also wrote to all MPs, who have schools within their constituencies offering ESB assessments, to engage their interest and to demonstrate how some schools are already embedding oracy into the classroom with great success. In response, in October, Eleanor Smith MP for Wolverhampton South West and vice-chair of the Oracy APPG is visiting Tettenhall College in Wolverhampton. Tettenhall places great value on offering exceptional extra-curricular activities like ESB and their school has been offering ESB assessments for many years.

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