RCSLT response to the Curriculum Review final report

The report makes recommendations for the curriculum, assessment, and qualifications system in England. The Department for Education has issued a response to the report. 

RCSLT response

It is encouraging to see the importance of oracy recognised throughout the report, acknowledging the impact of speech, language, and communication skills on a wide range of life outcomes, including learning, employment, productivity, and psychological and physical health. 

We welcome:

• The report’s broad and inclusive definition of oracy as incorporating “speaking, listening, and communication, including verbal as well as other forms of non-written communication, such as sign language, non-verbal and Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC).” It echoes the definition proposed in our joint work on oracy with Voice 21 and Speech and Language UK.
• The report’s recommendation of the introduction of a new oracy framework to give guidance to teachers and support good practice – and that in its response, the Government has committed to do this. We urge the government to adopt the inclusive definition of oracy in this framework and move away from a narrow focus on fluent speech.
• The report’s recommendation that the Government should provide evidence-led guidance on curriculum and pedagogical adaptation for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). We are pleased to see that the Government response includes a commitment to develop evidence-led resources to support teachers in adapting the curriculum for all children and young people, including those with SEND.
• The Government’s commitment to ensuring that core training throughout a teacher’s career has a strong focus on high-quality adaptive teaching, with a full review of the initial teacher training and early career framework planned for 2027.

More to do

To bring about meaningful change for children and young people, it is essential that changes to the curriculum and assessment framework are supported by actions within the wider education system, such as improved access to the specialist workforce for children and schools – including but not limited to speech and language therapists – and changes to initial teacher training, the early career framework and ongoing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers and other school staff to equip teachers with the knowledge and skills to identify and support learners with speech, language and communication needs.