The Talk-Rich Teaching Toolkit was the product of a collaborative research project between Naomi Flynn and Hampshire’s Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS). Its purpose is to provide schools and teachers with a resource that supports a positive mindset towards use of oracy education in the classroom. Schools can work with the Toolkit in ways that align with their current school development priorities.

While principally designed to give research-informed practical advice on the use of oracy with multilingual learners, its proposed classroom strategies work well for all learners. Furthermore, because of our Hampshire context, the Toolkit incorporates advice for working with learners from Gypsy Roma and Traveller families (referred to as Traveller & Showmen families in Hampshire). Thus it is likely to work effectively with a range of minoritised groups of learners.

The structure of the Toolkit is illustrated above. However, it is important that anyone working with the Toolkit engages first with the Principles we used to drive the Toolkit.

What Schools Liked About the Toolkit

• Multilingual learners grew in confidence to take part in small group conversations using new vocabulary.
• Multilingual learners were better able to articulate the questions they needed to ask when they did not understand things.
• Traveller children were better engaged in small group teaching
• Learners were better able to listen and offer opinions.
• Teachers found that, in saying less, and working with small groups, they became better active listeners.
• Teachers appreciated understanding the ‘why’ of implementing oracy, and ‘permission’ to design talk-based activities rather than worrying about written ‘evidence’.
• Headteachers appreciated the ways in whichToolkit content could be adapted to local need and matched to school priorities.

Currently the Toolkit is only available to schools in Hampshire, but we plan to release it to a wider audience in 2026. Watch this space for updates!

Report

Our project report Improving schools’ oracy education for multilingual and Gypsy Roma Traveller pupils is out.

In this report you can read in more detail about the aims of the project and what schools did when working with us. If you have further questions about our work you can email Naomi (n.flynn@reading.ac.uk).