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Story summary
- Education Secretary Lucy Powell announced that oracy will have equal status with reading and writing.
- The change makes spoken language a statutory English strand through GCSEs.
- Powell said the shift counters AI automation by emphasizing uniquely human communication skills.
- She warned that oracy has long been a privilege marker and must become a right.
- The government pledged in November 2025 to publish an oracy framework after a 2024 independent review.