From Voice to Page: The Whole-School Journey of Writing, with Gloucester Research School, Valerie Bloom and Christian Foley

This session explores the powerful journey from spoken language to written outcomes, placing oracy at the heart of a whole-school approach to writing. It will examine how ideas are first shaped through talk, refined through shared thinking, and ultimately crafted into confident, independent writing across all phases.

The training will focus particularly on:

The crucial role of oral composition in supporting children’s writing development from early years through to upper key stages

How high-quality talk—through storytelling, discussion, rehearsal and purposeful dialogue—strengthens vocabulary, sentence structure, and authorial confidence

The progression of writing instruction across the school: from immersion in language and ideas, to modelled writing, to collaborative/shared writing, and finally to independent application

How this progression can be embedded consistently across a whole-school curriculum to ensure continuity and progression in writing skills

Practical, classroom-ready strategies to support pupils at each stage of the journey, including scaffolding, sentence stems, talk routines, and structured opportunities for rehearsal

This session offers valuable insight into how a carefully sequenced, talk-rich approach to teaching writing can transform outcomes. By embedding oracy at every stage—from initial idea generation to final written piece—schools can support pupils to become articulate thinkers and confident, capable writers.