Verbal Communication Takes a Back Seat in the Curriculum in the United Kingdom
Educators across the United Kingdom are expressing concern that students' verbal communication skills are not being given the attention they deserve within the education system. A draft report prepared as part of the national curriculum review, chaired by Professor Becky Francis, has sparked disappointment among educators and civil society organisations due to its lack of focus on verbal communication and listening skills.
Despite the fact that more than 1,000 schools nationwide are working in partnership with Voice 21—an organisation that places verbal communication at the heart of teaching practice—children’s authors and education experts hope that the omission is only temporary and will be addressed in the final version of the report.
Experts emphasise that developing students’ verbal communication skills is not only crucial for academic achievement but also for helping them make connections between ideas, express themselves clearly, and build confidence. These skills, they argue, lie at the core of human interaction and are particularly vital in job interviews and professions that rely heavily on interpersonal contact—representing uniquely “human skills” that machines cannot replicate.