Powell to give speaking (oracy) equal status with reading and writing in English curriculum

Right · 2Education Secretary Lucy Powell announced in a speech to the Confederation of School Trusts (CST) annual conference in Birmingham on Thursday 15 October that oracy, or speaking skills, would be given equal status to reading and writing as a new strand of the English curriculum. 1 2 Right · 2Powell said the change would be made "both in content and in assessment", with speaking, listening and communicating a core part of education "from primary to GCSE and beyond", and that the government would work with schools and the exams regulator Ofqual. 1 2 Right · 2The Daily Mail reported that speaking would be assessed as part of GCSE exams and that Powell plans less academic writing in subjects such as music, PE and drama, with more "practical" assessment; GB News noted that speaking and listening exams were dropped from counting towards English GCSE final marks more than a decade ago. 1 2

Right · 1Powell argued that, with the rise of artificial intelligence, schools should "go harder on the skills that makes us human, like oracy", and said the ability to articulate oneself has for too long been "a marker of privilege" that should become "the right of every child". 1 Right · 1Responding to suggestions of "dumbing down", Powell told The Times that "the only thing being dumbed down here is the expectation that children from ordinary backgrounds should settle for less". 2 Right · 2Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott said Powell seemed to be "tearing up the last two years as if they never happened" and that reopening the curriculum and assessment review creates confusion for schools and risks the debate over a knowledge-rich curriculum. 1 2

Right · 1The Daily Mail said the move signals a change from predecessor Bridget Phillipson, whose curriculum review led by Professor Becky Francis found much content should stay; government sources said Powell would not rip up the Francis review, and a senior education source told The Times the announcements were "vibes", retrogressive and light on detail. 1 Right · 1GB News reported that the speech also set out a wider aim to turn the Department for Education into a "department of hope" with a "system that rewards inclusion"; Trott called the branding "Orwellian", and Baroness Spielman, a former head of Ofsted, said the plans were the "worst of all worlds" and could let schools again push up GCSE grades. 2 Right · 1On exclusions, GB News reported proposed reforms under which schools would set work for pupils during the first five days of a suspension or exclusion, and "reintegration support partnerships" could be introduced; it cited DfE data of 913,000 suspensions and 9,900 permanent exclusions in England in 2024/25. Trott said opening the door to inclusion over exclusion would be "a disaster". 2

Right · 1A source close to Powell said an education system that "reaches beyond the classroom" was needed so every young person leaves school ready for further study, work and life; Powell has also already announced new vocational GCSEs to sit beside academic ones. 1