Starmer’s vision for oracy is great, but let’s make space for the conversations that count

Thirty years of advancing Philosophy for Children (P4C) has taught us that oracy is best delivered in the context of meaningful dialogue and enquiry that is skilfully facilitated by teachers and driven by young people’s curiosity.

Co-director of SAPERE Grace Lockrobin, said today:

“Most young people desperately want to have meaningful discussions and give voice to their questions and concerns; and many teachers went into education precisely to make this happen. But the system conspires against them. The current curriculum, with its emphasis on acquisition of knowledge, frequently squeezes out opportunities for anything more than superficial conversation about important open questions.

“Meanwhile, a failure to equip teachers to be facilitators of dialogue can make them fearful of how they will manage divisive topics if they emerge in the classroom. As a result, even in those few bold schools that do value oracy equally alongside literacy and numeracy, the dialogue is not always as deep as it could be.

“Respectful, rich conversation is what so many students and teachers want and deserve, but few will get it, even under Labour’s proposed direction for oracy, unless we appreciate the role for philosophical education.”

As Keir Starmer argued at today’s press conference and article for The Times, the proposed elevation of oracy in UK schools is an opportunity for young people to “find their voice”, work out who they are and what they believe in. We agree. But these kinds of empowering, existential enquiries, rarely happen organically in the classroom. They need interesting stimuli and an expert, structured, evidence-based approach, which is what we at SAPERE have been providing for the last 30 years.

To realise the vision outlined by Starmer today, SAPERE argues that oracy should be promoted via Philosophy for Children (P4C) – a pedagogy for oracy that combines speaking, listening and thinking, which together unlock deeper learning and enhanced life-chances. The techniques, expertise and evidence for P4C are ready and waiting to jumpstart the oracy agenda. P4C is already practised by thousands of teachers and benefiting tens of thousands of young people around the UK. What is more, in a period where resources are stretched and morale is low, research shows that P4C is a cost-effective way to promote both oracy and metacognition (both of which top the EEF’s Learning and Teaching Toolkit), and that P4C especially benefits students in receipt of free school meals, a marker of socioeconomic disadvantage.

P4C pedagogy respects and develops the whole child, providing the opportunity for each child to think for themselves, in community with others. It represents an antidote to the knowledge-rich, but wisdom-poor agenda of the last decade. We agree with Keir Starmer that all children must find their voice, but also their ears, their heart and their head. We believe P4C is essential to realising in practice the promise of oracy.

We look forward to contributing in consultation on the curriculum review, should the opportunity arise. And we offer policymakers from all parties the opportunity to consult with SAPERE, including associated experts in philosophical pedagogy, our long-standing trainer network, and the nationwide community of teacher-facilitators already trained in delivering high-quality P4C.