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RWMDoncaster@doncaster.gov.uk

Doncaster & Rotherham Oracy Hub

Wednesday 4^th November 2026

Part of Doncaster Education & Skills Strategy 2030

Rockingham Professional Development Centre

www.doncaster.gov.uk

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Agenda: 04.11.26�(Timings approximate)

13.30: Welcome & Refreshments

13.35: Where are we now as an oracy hub? Where do we want to go?

13.50: Being an oracy lead – Discussion task

14.15: Jigsaw groups – Oracy Benchmarks

14:50: Reflection time – initial reflections and completion of the audit

15:15: Gap task and RWM updates

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Shared Aims �Shaping the Doncaster & Rotherham Oracy Hub

Suggested aims:

To promote and develop the teaching and learning of oracy in Doncaster and Rotherham.
To provide access to high quality local and national CPD.
To provide hub, school-to-school and personalised support as appropriate.
To share good practice in oracy with member schools and more widely.
To learn from and be informed by the latest and most innovative and compelling research in oracy.
To continually aim to develop and improve the oracy skills of the young people of Doncaster and Rotherham to give them the best opportunity to become successful and confident lifelong learners.
To celebrate the power of oracy and spoken language skills and promote within and beyond Doncaster and Rotherham.
As an Oracy Hub, to develop a bank of oracy resources

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Aim of the Meeting Today�04.11.26

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To reflect on where you are currently and assess against the oracy benchmarks

To reflect on the role of the oracy lead and implications for the year ahead

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Being an Oracy Lead: �Think/talk piece

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Read through the attached article and reflect as a group.

What resonates with you?

What areas are strong/well embedded?

What areas do you want to concentrate on?

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Oracy Benchmarks: Jigsaw groups

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Has an ambitious vision for oracy

Builds a culture of oracy

Has a sustained and wide-ranging curriculum for oracy

Recognises oracy as central to learning

Is accountable for the impact of oracy

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Expert groups (10 minutes)

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Group 1	Vision for oracy
Group 2	Culture for oracy
Group 3	Curriculum for oracy
Group 4	Oracy as central to learning
Group 5	Accountability and impact of oracy

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Expert group discussion questions

What does this benchmark mean?
What evidence would we expect to see if this benchmark was fully embedded?
What barriers might schools face?
What would be the biggest "quick win"?
What would exemplary practice look like?

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Record three key messages to share with your home group and one practical action linked to your benchmark

Agree

"I agree with _____ because..."

Build

"I'd like to add to that by..."

Challenge

"Could we also consider...?"

Clarify

"Can you explain what you mean by...?"

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Mixed Group (10 minutes)

Every group member gets a few minutes to share their benchmark and time for questions

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Benchmark	What does good practice look like?	One action we could take is ...
Vision
Culture
Curriculum
Learning
Accountability

www.doncaster.gov.uk

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School improvement and �Marketplace share (5 + 5 minutes)

School improvement

Which benchmark is our strongest?
Which benchmark needs most development?
Which benchmark would create the biggest impact if improved?
Which one action will we commit to in the next term?

Market place share

Present to the group
Audience be prepared to note ideas you want to steal and adopt

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University of Bath Study

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Three groups were asked to exercise for 20 min in the following week.

The control group were simply asked to keep track: 38% exercised.

The second group also got a motivational talk and reading materials on the health benefits: 35% exercised

The third group got the same motivational materials, plus one extra task – completing a single sentence:

‘During the next week, I will partake in at least 20 min of vigorous exercise on [day] at [time] in [place].’

91% of them exercised.

So, what made the difference?

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University of Bath Study�Implications for Oracy

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That sentence, called an implementation intention made the difference, and the pattern holds across hundreds of studies:

Motivation is overrated, and specificity is wildly underrated!

Deciding that you’ll do something barely moves the needle. Deciding when, where and what – in advance, in writing, publicly – changes behaviour.

The format is simple: when [cue], I will [action], so that [outcome].

Some oracy examples:

‘When I ask a question, I will count five seconds of thinking time before taking any answers, so that more pupils formulate a response.’
‘Every Monday, I will open the first lesson with a two-minute ‘talking point’ discussion exercise, so that pupils practise giving reasons for their views.’
‘When we do learning walks this term, I will spend five minutes looking at who is doing the talking, so that we notice participation patterns.’

www.doncaster.gov.uk

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Implementation Intention (5 mins)�James Mannion

Gap Task:

Write one implementation intention for talk in your classroom/school this week.

- Put it somewhere visible.

- Then notice what happens (and tell us all about it next time)

Remember the format: when [cue], I will [action], so that [outcome].

Try it first and then share this with your staff team so that they try this too.

What difference does it make?

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www.doncaster.gov.uk

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Reflection time

Use this time to work on the audit for your school

Please scan and return by 18th Jan to:

Tara Bradley
Anne Walker
Amy Parry-McDermott

Email addresses on final slide

l

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www.doncaster.gov.uk

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Making Change Stick: Dr James Mannion

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Autumn Leading Thinking Event

When: Friday November 13^th 2026

Where: Rockingham PDC, Rotherham

Cost (including lunch): £90 (£70 for maintained schools)

Booking

Doncaster: Leading Thinking - Dr James Mannion | Buy Doncaster

Rotherham: Leading Thinking - Dr James Mannion | Forge CPD

www.doncaster.gov.uk

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James Mannion Podcast

Short-form, weekly episodes to drop evidence-based implementation strategies, brilliant ideas and inspiring stories into the eyes and ears of time-pressed educators.

Released every Wednesday at midday, UK time – the midpoint of the week.

www.doncaster.gov.uk

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Sheffield City of Talk

www.doncaster.gov.uk

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Keynote Speaker – Professor Neil Mercer

Professor of Education, University of Cambridge and Director of Oracy Cambridge

We are delighted to welcome internationally renowned oracy expert Professor Neil Mercer as our keynote speaker. A leading authority on classroom talk and learning, Neil will share insights into how high-quality dialogue can improve cognitive and social development and enrich learning.�

What to Expect

Inspiring keynote presentation from Professor Neil Mercer
Practical, sector-led workshops sharing approaches to aid the development of effective oracy practice
Opportunities to network with colleagues from different settings and LAs
Ideas, tools and strategies to help you strengthen speaking, listening and communication across your school

Whether you are just beginning your oracy journey or looking to build on existing practice, this conference offers a unique opportunity to learn alongside colleagues, share experiences and collaborate with other school leaders across Sheffield and beyond.

Sheffield City of Talk

Launch Conference – 20.01.27

www.doncaster.gov.uk

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Coming Soon! ‘Let’s Talk!’

Dr Lyn Dawes

Publication Date:

April 2027

Available now to pre-order

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Topsy Page Newsletter

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Doncaster and Rotherham Oracy Hub��Future Dates�

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Spring Term:

Date: tbc

Venue: School based - tbc

Summer Term:

Date: 18^th May 2027

Venue: Rockingham Professional Development Centre, Rotherham

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Tara Bradley

Tara.Bradley@doncaster.gov.uk

Sarah Churchill

Sarah.Churchill@doncaster.gov.uk

Anne Walker

Anne.Walker@doncaster.gov.uk

Amy Parry-McDermott

Amy.Parry@rotherham.gov.uk

Fiona.Radford

Fiona.Radford@rotherham.gov.uk

www.doncaster.gov.uk