Can you smash the class ceiling with speaking lessons?

“We’ve all been shaped by the class ceiling,” Sir Keir Starmer said during his keynote speech this morning. 

“We must all find a way to cast it aside,” he added.

The Labour leader was using the address on breaking down the barriers to opportunity to flesh out the fifth of his five missions for the government, initially announced in February. 

What does a government need to do to make sure those from the most deprived areas have the same chances for success as those in the least deprived areas?

The pledge is, perhaps, one of the most important to him and his party. You might even be tempted to describe it as the defining mission of his government. 

Much of the policy in Thursday’s speech was to do with education and, as such, not much to do with up here, given that schools and the curriculum are in the control of Edinburgh. However, there were a few aspects worth looking at. 

There were promises of more chances for vocational learning and a greater emphasis on arts and creative subjects.

He also announced plans for a review of the curriculum, to focus more on developing a child’s knowledge and skills.

There was also a promise to focus on pupils’ speaking abilities.

In an article for the Times ahead of the speech, Sir Keir said it was “short-sighted” that the current curriculum was not delivering oracy skills.

“An inability to articulate yourself fluently is a key barrier to getting on and thriving in life,” he wrote.

“It’s key to doing well in that crucial job interview, persuading a business to give you a refund, telling your friend something awkward. Oracy is a skill that can and must be taught.”

He expanded on the theme in his speech, adding: "Confident speaking gives you a steely core and an inner belief to make your case in any environment. Whether that's persuading your mum to buy some new trainers, a sceptical public to hear your argument or even your daughter to let go of her iPhone."

While I’m not sure even the finest and most persuasive orator in the world would manage to get my daughter to put her phone down, it was an intriguing pledge.

It was a call welcomed by Jordan Pfotenhauer, the programmes director at Young Speakers Scotland, a Scottish educational charity that aims to use debating and public speaking to “help young people realise their potential.” 

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He told me that being able to speak confidently was “a crucial skill for young people to have.”  

He added: “Through our workshops at schools around Scotland we’ve seen firsthand the way that speaking and debating can transform the lives of young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

“In Scotland, a key issue for society is lessening the poverty-related attainment gap and we firmly believe that building young people’s speaking skills, in or outside the curriculum, can play an important part in achieving that goal.”

Lindsay Paterson, Professor of Education Policy at Edinburgh University, told The Herald there was “no point in speaking well unless you have something worthwhile to say.” 

“That needs a curriculum that is grounded in knowledge and in the vocational skills that are based on sound knowledge,” he added.

“Starmer is thus wise also to recognise the importance of the curriculum in overcoming inequality – using knowledge to counter what he has called 'the soft bigotry of low expectations'.

"Scottish policy could do well to place more emphasis than it does on listening and speaking. But unless it also returns to emphasising the importance of knowledge, it will be sadly ignoring Starmer's recognition that knowledge matters."

Lindsay Paterson is Professor of Education Policy at the University of Edinburgh (Image: BBC)

The academic also said the other parts of Sir Keir’s speech would make far more difference in making opportunity more equal. 

“If children are hungry, if they do not have access to books at home, if their internet connection is unreliable, if they are not stimulated by conversation at home, then no amount of training in public speaking will help them to succeed. Starmer is thus wise to highlight the importance of reducing the impact of poverty.”

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