Tongue Fu Talking® is a structured, progressive Oracy System for schools from EYFS to KS3. It provides a clear, cumulative approach to teaching speaking and listening through two modes of talk, four disciplines and twenty three teachable practices, supported by ready to use classroom and leadership resources including in-built CPD. The approach is based upon embedding oracy into a school’s existing curriculum on a daily basis rather than treating oracy as a separate subject with separate oracy lessons, therefore making implementation easy. Everything is designed to support systematic, whole-school implementation so staff can teach oracy with clarity and consistency.

Schools make a 12 month subscription to the site. The Admin User sets up and invites staff to use the site. Each member of staff therefore has their own login and can access the site, resources and CPD throughout the subscription.

Yes, you can have a 48 hour free trial of the site. Please note trials are restricted to one per user. Resources can be viewed but not downloaded on the trial version.

The cost for a 12 month subscription is based on the number on roll per school ensuring affordable access for all schools. Please view our price bands. To find out which band your school has been allocated please enter your school and click See Price Plans. If your school has been allocated the wrong price band please contact us and we will amend accordingly.

Yes. Several schools from a Trust can subscribe under one Trust, making it even cheaper for individual schools. Just contact us with the total number on roll of all schools wishing to subscribe as well as the number of teacher logins required.

As well as the Oracy Framework, schools have access to Leader Resources including a Getting Started Staff Meeting, a 12 month Implementation Plan, Oracy Policy, Oracy Audit tools, Oracy and Metacognition CPD and guidance for parents. Teacher Resources include Games to introduce the 4 Bonds, structured debate ideas for all curriculum subjects, Because, So, But discussions with sentence starters from every strand of the science curriculum from EYFS to KS3, classroom talk activities, metacognition activities, presentation talk ideas including prompt wheels, Five a Week Vocabulary Spine as well as assessment grids for students to self-assess and teachers to use as feedback prompts.

Yes, there is inbuilt CPD for schools to access throughout their subscription. Training and consultancy is available from one of our team at an additional cost but most schools do not require this due to the easily navigated site and inbuilt CPD. Technical support is available free of charge throughout your subscription.

There is no right or wrong way to use the site. Although the site provides a structured approach outlining what to do in each of the first 12 months, with links to resources and blogs, schools do not have to use it in this way. They can dip in and out as they wish. For example, the first term could be just introducing the curriculum debates in all subjects across the school, which on its own would be fantastic. The second term you could get the Vocabulary Spine up and running. The more you do the more oracy skills will improve, but even using some activities will improve oracy for your students. All of the above is easy to find via a filtered menu.

No. You are sent a re-subscription invoice 4 to 6 weeks prior to your renewal date giving the option to renew or not at that point.

The honest answer is simple:

It depends.

Not because the system is complicated, but because every school starts from a different place.

Some schools already have strong classroom talk, clear routines and confident staff. Others have enthusiastic teachers but no shared communication curriculum. Some have invested in oracy before but found it difficult to sustain. Others are starting from scratch.

That is why we never recommend that schools begin with resources.

We recommend they begin with an audit (audit tools are included in your subscription).

Every school has different strengths

Imagine two schools.

School A already has:

• high-quality classroom discussion
• confident teachers
• clear expectations for speaking and listening
• opportunities for pupils to present their ideas.

However, when the audit is completed it reveals something unexpected.

Although pupils talk frequently, there is no agreed communication curriculum. Teachers are using different language, expectations vary between classes and there is no systematic progression from EYFS to KS3.

The school is already doing many things well.

It simply needs greater consistency.

Now consider School B.

The audit identifies a very different picture.

Teachers have little confidence teaching communication explicitly. There is no professional development programme, no shared vocabulary, no progression model and few opportunities to assess pupils' development.

For this school, implementation will naturally take longer.

Neither school is better or worse.

They simply have different starting points.

The purpose of the audit

Schools sometimes worry that an audit is about finding weaknesses.

It is not.

Its purpose is to identify both strengths and areas for development.

That means implementation time is based on evidence rather than guesswork.

Some phases of implementation may already be securely embedded.

Others may need more attention.

Rather than asking every school to complete the same journey at the same pace, the audit allows leaders to focus on what will make the greatest difference first.

Why we use a phased implementation model

Tongue Fu Talking® is more than a collection of resources.

It is a structured oracy system that includes the communication curriculum, teaching approaches, classroom resources, staff development and implementation guidance.

Embedding a whole-school approach requires more than introducing a few lessons.

It means developing shared understanding, consistent classroom practice and sustainable systems.

For that reason we provide a ten-phase implementation plan.

The phases are designed to help schools introduce change in a logical sequence rather than attempting everything at once.

Schools often move through several phases quickly because good practice already exists.

Other phases may require more sustained work.

The plan provides direction while allowing schools to progress at a pace that matches their own context.

Could it take a year or more?

Yes.

For many schools, a year or more is a sensible timescale for embedding a whole-school approach.

That does not mean waiting twelve months before pupils benefit.

Quite the opposite.

Teachers usually begin using classroom resources almost immediately.

Pupils start developing communication knowledge from the first lessons.

What takes longer is embedding consistent practice across every year group, every subject and every member of staff.

Like any curriculum development, sustainable improvement happens over time rather than overnight.

There is no prize for implementing quickly

Schools sometimes feel under pressure to implement new initiatives as rapidly as possible.

Experience suggests the opposite approach is more effective.

Successful implementation is not measured by how quickly resources appear in classrooms.

It is measured by whether practice becomes part of everyday teaching.

When teachers understand the communication curriculum, use common language, apply consistent routines and monitor pupils' development with confidence, implementation has been successful.

That cannot be rushed.

A journey guided by evidence

Our implementation process is deliberately flexible.

The audit establishes each school's starting point.

The ten implementation phases provide the roadmap.

Professional development, coaching, classroom resources and implementation guidance support staff throughout the journey.

Some schools will move more quickly.

Others will take longer.

Both approaches are entirely appropriate if they are guided by evidence rather than urgency.

Ultimately, the goal is not simply to introduce Tongue Fu Talking®.

It is to embed a communication curriculum that becomes part of everyday teaching and learning, supporting pupils year after year.