Spoken language in the primary national curriculum
- an overview for No Pens Day Wednesday schools
What does the current national curriculum say about spoken language?
The new primary curriculum for maintained schools became statutory in England in September 2014, with changes made to how spoken language
should be taught: Instead of a specific ‘speaking and listening’ strand, there is now a spoken language programme of study and oral language skills are
further integrated within other areas of the curriculum.
Level descriptors outlining progress towards attainment are not specified and schools can now use their own ways of monitoring and reporting on
progress in spoken language within the curriculum.
Within the 2014 primary national curriculum for England, there are many links to spoken language. These can be found throughout the full National
Curriculum for key stages 1 and 2 document here:
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In the English programme of study, there is a statutory spoken language programme of study. This has twelve statutory requirements
which cover the whole of the primary age range. Guidance outlines that schools should teach the content for these statements at a
level appropriate to the age of the pupils and build on the oral language skills they have been previously taught.
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There is also a strong focus on all elements of language skills in the other 3 areas of the English curriculum. These aspects focus more
strongly on oral language in the earlier years and lead more onto written language in the older year groups.
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Two other programmes of study (curriculum areas), Maths and Science, have a paragraph relating directly to spoken language in their
introduction. These paragraphs identify the importance of spoken language throughout both Maths and Science.
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Spoken language skills are also a feature within many of the remaining programmes of study (computing, design and technology,
geography, history, languages, music, physical education) where there is overt reliance on language development, for example, where it
is identified that pupils must ‘ask questions’, ‘discuss’ etc. This tends to be more prominent in the younger age groups.
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In later stages of the primary national curriculum, there are statutory requirements requiring verbal comprehension of the task, a good
grasp of the meaning of the vocabulary, word retrieval, auditory memory, sequencing, narrative skills etc. These are spoken language
skills, important in their own right, but also to support written language..
Key issues for schools around spoken language in the curriculum
As the spoken language statutory requirements cover, as one, all ages in key stages 1 and 2, schools will be working out appropriate
expectations for these skills for children of different ages, in order to plan content, demonstrate progression and identify children who
aren’t making expected progress in spoken language.
Linking the statements in the programme of study to developmental expectations for spoken language can actually be quite a challenge.
Additionally, we know that many children’s language skills aren’t where we would expect them to be, making it even more difficult for
schools to set out expectations for spoken language and build on skills which may not yet be solidly in place.
The Communication Trust has produced information to help schools plan for spoken language according to children’s ages. You can access
that here. This is based on our publication Universally Speaking 5-11 which shows where children should typically be with their
communication skills across these age ranges. The Universally Speaking booklets are available to access for free on our website and are
also available for ages 0-5 and 11-18- www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk/universallyspeaking
Spoken language skills are strongly embedded across other programmes of study, with pupils needing to explain, discuss and understand
for example. However, it’s really important that these skills are explicitly taught and developed and that they aren’t assumed or perhaps
overlooked.
No Pens Day Wednesday provides a really great opportunity to put spoken language skills at the top of the agenda all day.
How can No Pens Day Wednesday support you to meet the spoken language statutory requirements?
No Pens Day Wednesday provides:
 A chance to spend time specifically developing the skills which are part of the spoken language programme of study – with lots of
ready-made lesson plans and activities to help
 An opportunity to try out and share lots of different ways you could include a focus on spoken language, not just today but every day.
 A mechanism to consider how you weave spoken language skills through the whole of your curriculum
 An incentive for discussing spoken language as a whole staff team – looking at how this area of the curriculum can be supported by
everyone in the different aspects of their work
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The occasion to support reading and writing through focusing on the oral skills essential for underpinning written language
Please note: Some of the lesson plans that are available for use for No Pens Day Wednesday were developed before the curriculum changes came in
to effect in September 2014. Therefore, some of the speaking and listening objectives don’t map specifically onto the spoken language objectives set
out in the 2014 curriculum. However, the principles of outlining spoken language objectives as part of any lesson plan remain the same, so we have
continued to include these plans as part of the No Pens Day Wednesday resource offer, with a view that they can be adapted to suit the needs of your
lesson and your students.