In March 2024, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) released its landmark report, "We need to talk: The case for oracy in the classroom". This vital document highlights a growing crisis in children's spoken language skills—an "oracy gap" that has widened post-pandemic and is profoundly impacting educational attainment, social mobility, and emotional wellbeing.

The report is an urgent call to action for educators and policymakers. At Mighty Writer, we believe it validates the very principles our resource was built on: that structured talk is the bedrock of literacy, and every child deserves the tools to become a confident communicator.

A Summary of the 'We Need to Talk' Report

The report powerfully argues that oracy (the ability to speak eloquently, articulate ideas, and listen effectively) is not a 'soft skill' but the foundation upon which all other learning is built.

Key Findings:

• A Widening Gap: There is a significant and growing disparity in oracy skills between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their more affluent peers, impacting their entire educational journey.
• The Foundation of Literacy: The report states unequivocally that oracy "underpins the acquisition of literacy," reinforcing the principle that "if a child cannot say it, they cannot write it."
• Essential for Life: Strong oracy skills are linked to better academic outcomes, improved mental health, and greater success in the workplace.
• A Need for Explicit Instruction: Crucially, the CSJ concludes that oracy skills do not develop by chance. They must be explicitly and consistently taught as part of a structured curriculum.

From Recommendation to Reality: How Mighty Writer Puts the Solutions into Practice

The "We Need to Talk" report lays out clear recommendations for schools. Mighty Writer provides the perfect practical tool to turn this policy into outstanding classroom practice, creating a seamless and engaging bridge between speaking and writing.

Here’s how Mighty Writer directly aligns with the report's key recommendations:

Recommendation: Prioritise a curriculum that explicitly teaches oracy and vocabulary.

• How Mighty Writer Delivers: Mighty Writer makes language tangible. By using the sentence mats and symbol tiles, children physically construct sentences. They experiment with vocabulary, using adjective tiles to add description and conjunction tiles ('because', 'so', 'then') to build more complex, reasoned sentences. This isn't just talk; it's the explicit, hands-on teaching of sentence structure and ambitious vocabulary in action.

Recommendation: Provide a structured framework for high-quality talk in the classroom.

• How Mighty Writer Delivers: Mighty Writer is the structured framework. It guides children through the process of formulating ideas, sequencing a narrative, and orally rehearsing it. The mat acts as a visual map for their thoughts, transforming disjointed ideas into coherent, well-structured stories. It ensures that classroom talk is purposeful, progressive, and focused on developing specific linguistic skills.

Recommendation: Ensure all children, especially the most vulnerable, have the support they need to develop their oracy.

• How Mighty Writer Delivers: The tactile, visual, and playful nature of Mighty Writer levels the playing field. It provides a vital scaffold for children who lack confidence, have Special Educational Needs (SEND), or are learning English as an Additional Language (EAL). By removing the immediate pressure of handwriting and spelling, it allows these children to focus entirely on developing and articulating their ideas, building the confidence they need to succeed.

Recommendation: Create a strong bridge between spoken language and writing.

• How Mighty Writer Delivers: This is the heart of Mighty Writer. The report stresses that oracy underpins writing, and our resource is the physical embodiment of that bridge. Children use the mat to build their story, telling it aloud multiple times to refine their ideas and sentence structure. When they finally pick up a pencil, the cognitive load is dramatically reduced. The story is already 'built'; the vocabulary is secure. They are not thinking of what to write, but simply how to write it.

The "We Need to talk" report presents a challenge that no school can afford to ignore. Mighty Writer offers an immediate, impactful, and proven solution, empowering teachers to close the oracy gap and help every single child find their voice.