Ms Lewis, Deputy Head Academic, is a huge advocate of oracy in schools, particularly for young women, whose voices can often be drowned out in the noise of our current world. To develop the culture of oracy at Blackheath High, she has introduced a wealth of innovations including a Civil Discourse enrichment stream, giving our girls the skills and space to find their voices, listen to others and debate with others civilly; and a mock election, complete with hustings and ballot voting mechanism. She contributed to the GDST’s Designing the Future of Girls’ Education Report on the importance of oracy, as well as the Oracy Commission’s ‘We Need to Talk’ report, which highlights the urgent need for schools to prioritise oracy skills as a core component of the curriculum. 

She has recently turned her attention to the importance of inclusion in oracy, giving every student the opportunity to find their voice, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), who make up 1.6 million children in the UK – approximately 370,000. One in eight children also experience a stammer at some point in their development.  

Read Ms Lewis’ powerful article 'An inclusive oracy approach' for the Chartered College of Teaching’s Impact Magazine on the requirement for thoughtfully adapted teaching approaches to ensure that everyone is included.

You can also listen in to a recording of our recent live BBC Radio London broadcast, with journalist Gem O’Reilly reporting live from our Year 7 Civil Discourse enrichment class.