Supporting Vocabulary in Secondary School: A Research & Practice Workshop

The conversation around oracy is growing. Following the Curriculum and Assessment Review, spoken language is set to move from a “soft skill” to a core requirement. However, high-quality talk relies on a foundation of strong vocabulary. This workshop focuses on the specific challenges of vocabulary teaching in secondary education—from transition to completion—where language demands accelerate and vocabulary becomes more complex across different disciplines.

We know that oracy is no longer just the focus of the Early Years or the English department. This workshop offers a collaborative space for teachers across the curriculum to move beyond top-down recommendations and discuss the everyday reality of embedding talk-based learning and vocabulary support in your classrooms. We want to hear about your "wins" and your barriers in a supportive setting.

• Reflect and share: Acknowledge the work your school has already done and discuss how these initiatives are working in your classroom.
• Influence future research: Help to identify the gaps in current evidence so that future projects are shaped by the practical needs of teachers.
• Build a network: Connect with a cross-sector community of educators, researchers, and representatives from York-based initiatives, who are navigating the same challenges.

• Keynote speakers: Hear from two leading voices in oracy and policy. Mr Marcus Jones (Huntington Research School) will explore the linguistic leap students take when they transition to more specialist learning, offering actionable strategies to help students navigate the complex vocabulary of secondary school. Professor Jessie Ricketts (Royal Holloway, University of London) will break down how vocabulary knowledge intersects with both literacy and oracy, reflecting on how these links inform shifts in national education policy and oracy frameworks.
• Short evidence talks: Flash talks on the latest vocabulary research and findings from our recent national survey.
• Interactive discussion sessions: A chance to pull apart specific classroom strategies and troubleshoot barriers to student progress.
• Peer-vetted takeaways: Leave with a sense of what is working across different schools and some insightful recommendations for your own practice.
• Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

We are committed to making this event accessible. Local schools can get free places via the SUNRAY Network. Sign up via the SUNRAY website and email us at [email protected] for your registration code.

Find links here to: parking a short walk from the venue and several bus routes that serve the train station and city centre. The nearest bus stop is Wentworth Way.

Info: When pupils move from primary to secondary school and start to study subjects in more specialist ways, they have to learn new and unfamiliar disciplinary languages. These languages include hundreds, even thousands of new words, as well as new meanings of words they think they already know.

Based on a major research project, this talk explains the scope and nature of the challenge students face, with examples from English, Maths, Science, Geography and History classrooms. There will be ideas and practical tips for teachers to make the language of their classrooms more accessible for students.

Info: Four short talks on the latest evidence-based perspectives in vocabulary support, focused on the latest whats, whens, and hows of classroom strategies.

Info: Work in small groups to unpack and discuss an aspect of vocabulary support. We encourage attendees to complete the live survey on current practice which will inform the themes for the meeting. Attendees will be contacted in advance to register for their theme of choice.
Find the live survey and inform these discussions here: https://tinyurl.com/UoYVocabularySurvey

Info: In this presentation, Jessie will draw on research findings to frame how vocabulary knowledge intersects with literacy and oracy. In particular, she will explore the close relationship between vocabulary and reading as pupils transition from primary to secondary school. Vocabulary and reading draw on the same knowledge base, develop in tandem, and are mutually beneficial with vocabulary underpinning successful reading, and reading providing opportunities for vocabulary growth.
Jessie will draw out the implications of these findings for educational policy and practice, outlining recent work with the Department for Education, teachers and charities to promote reading in secondary school and reflect on the curriculum and forthcoming oracy and literacy frameworks.

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