The challenge
"Cockburn John Charles Academy is an OFSTED rated “good” academy with a large EAL and disadvantaged student background. The project focused on oracy for Key Stage 3 history students who presented several challenges, primarily focusing on how to effectively develop their written and verbal answers in a way that directly supports their later work, particularly at GCSEs."
As one of our Now Teach Innovation Fund winners, Jamie used his project to tackle a key challenge in his school: helping students move beyond basic recall to confidently speak and write like historians.
The Now Teach Innovation Fund supports projects that make a measurable difference in schools, whether through pastoral care, curriculum development, careers education, or operational improvement.
Jamie’s project focused on Learning & Curriculum, embedding oracy to strengthen both verbal reasoning and extended writing.
"The core goal was to implement a method to significantly increase student engagement and build a sense of awe and wonder into history lessons, moving beyond basic recall."
The approach
To achieve this, Jamie and his department:
- Focused on KS3 history students as the main participants
- Re-sequenced the curriculum so oracy tasks came before written work
- Introduced structured debates and role-plays to boost student participation and a genuine desire to produce detailed, high quality answers
- Taught students the verbal skills needed to plan and structure detailed, analytical answers for independent work and future GCSE assessments
The impact
The results were immediate and measurable:
- Motivation increased as students worked hard to complete their written tasks before the oracy activities
- SEN and EAL students benefitted as they found the verbal practice lowered the barrier to writing
- Quality of answers improved as students used accurate historical terminology and referenced previous topics confidently
"The most notable impact was a significant increase in student motivation, with many students actively seeking to finish their necessary written work before the scheduled oracy task."
Challenges and learnings