Lucy Powell puts speaking skills level with reading and writing

Summarised from 2 outlets · 5 reports · Updated 16 Oct, 06:32 · Archive

Education Secretary Lucy Powell has said speaking skills will become as important as reading and writing in GCSE assessments.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell announced at the Confederation of School Trusts annual conference in Birmingham that speaking skills will become as important as reading and writing in the education system. She described the ability to express yourself in a grammatical, confident fashion as 'oracy'.

Ms Powell set out her vision to transform the Department for Education into the 'department of hope' and said the education system should 'widen the narrow view of what good is'. She specifically pointed to school exclusion as an area she wants to improve, saying 'poor behaviour must have strong consequences, but once someone falls out of the system, it's all that much harder to get them back'. The plans would also involve more practical assessment methods.

The proposals have drawn criticism. The Daily Mail's comment section called the plan 'disgraceful' and accused Ms Powell of dumbing down schools. Conservative Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott said Ms Powell's 'department of hope' rebranding sounded 'Orwellian' and accused Labour of being 'all over the place on education'.

How it is being reported

• Lucy Powell to put speaking skills on same level as reading and writing in 'Orwellian' plansLucy Powell has said she will put oracy, or speaking skills, on the same level as reading and writing in a major shake-up of British education. Labour's Education Secretary, speaking at the Confederation of School Trusts (CST) annual conference, set out her "mission" to transform the Department of Education (DfE) into the "department of hope". Under Ms Powell and Andy Burnham, the DfE will build a "system that rewards inclusion", she added. Further outlining her vision, she said the education system should "widen the narrow view of what good is". TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say She…GB News · 16 Oct, 06:15
• DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Lucy Powell's disgraceful plan to dumb down schools will deprive Britain's young of the education she was lucky enough to enjoyIn her infinite wisdom, Education Secretary Lucy Powell wants to overhaul the curriculum by putting speaking skills on a par with reading and writing.Daily Mail · 16 Oct, 00:42
• Education Secretary is told children will be the losers after she said 'speaking skills' will be as important as reading and writing in new plans for GCSEsEducation Secretary Lucy Powell was told 'children will be the losers' after she announced 'speaking skills' will become just as important as reading and writing in GCSE assessments.Daily Mail · 16 Oct, 00:00
• QUENTIN LETTS: Lucy Powell's speech was 20 minutes of patronising banality. You could have set it in an A-level English paper, asking: 'What, if anything, is this person trying to say?'Lucy Powell, Education Secretary, gave a speech about the importance of clear communication. She was as clear as public-lavatory glass.Daily Mail · 15 Oct, 13:56
• Lucy Powell accused of 'blowing open' curriculum as speaking skills to get equal status with reading and writingThe Education Secretary is set to announce today that the ability to speak confidently will be 'hardwired' into a revised national curriculum.Daily Mail · 15 Oct, 10:26

In this story: Lucy Powell · Confederation of School Trusts · Laura Trott · Andy Burnham · Birmingham

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