🎙️ Why I Built LoftTalk — And Why This Half Term Is the Perfect Time to Use It

By a teacher, parent, and founder of Learning Loft

Half term is here — a well-earned break and a natural moment to reflect. As a teacher, I’ve seen students leave school able to write fluently, but unable to speak confidently. And as a parent, I’ve watched the same pattern play out at home.

My two boys are bright, imaginative, and endlessly curious — but like many children today, they can get lost in the world of technology. One moment they’re building houses in Minecraft, the next they’re celebrating eliminations in Fortnite or trading phrases on Roblox like “Ballerina Cappuccina” or “Cappuccino Assassino.”

All this digital creativity — and yet sometimes, even a simple “Morning!” or “How are you?” can feel like a stretch.

That’s when it hit me:🗣️ We’ve raised a generation fluent in virtual worlds — but hesitant in real ones.

💡 From That Realisation, LoftTalk Was Born

I wanted to build something that could help children rediscover the power of their own voices — something simple, supportive, and evidence-based. So I created LoftTalk — a tool designed to bring speaking and listening back to the heart of learning.

LoftTalk helps learners of all ages record, reflect, and improve their communication — whether they’re rehearsing a reading passage, explaining a concept, or sharing a thought aloud.

It’s the first app of its kind to:

• 🧠 Provide an accurate Oracy Age, giving students, parents, and teachers a clear measure of spoken progress.

• 📝 Transcribe every recording, so children can see their speech written down and reflect on clarity, vocabulary, and structure.

• 🌍 Offer full support in over 5 different languages, empowering multilingual learners to thrive and helping every voice to be valued.

Because speaking well isn’t just about English fluency — it’s about confidence, clarity, and connection.

🎧 How LoftTalk Builds Oracy Confidence

Each time a learner records, they receive:

• An Oracy Age showing measurable development.

• A Transcript to review and refine.

• Feedback on all strands of oracy — expression, reasoning, fluency, and listening.

• A progress report that teachers and parents can view instantly, tracking improvement over time.

It’s like holding up a mirror to your child’s voice — helping them hear themselves think, see themselves improve, and speak with purpose.

🗓️ This Half Term: What Have They Really Learned?

Half term is the perfect checkpoint. Work has been completed, homework submitted — but what have they retained? What can they recall?

If your students or children can explain what they’ve learned clearly, that’s real understanding. Writing is vital, yes — but speaking is thinking made visible.

So this week, why not try something new? Encourage a LoftTalk reflection:🎙️ Summarise a topic they’ve studied.📖 Read a passage aloud to practise fluency.💬 Explain an idea in their own words.

They’ll rehearse their learning, refine their articulation, and build real communication confidence — all while you get a clear window into what they actually understand.

📚 Why Oracy Matters — and Why the Research Backs It

The importance of oracy isn’t just opinion — it’s backed by national research and growing policy focus.

• The Oracy Education Commission (2024) calls for oracy to be treated as the “fourth R” alongside reading, writing, and arithmetic — a vital skill for every learner’s future.

• Voice 21 defines oracy as “the ability to articulate ideas, develop understanding and engage with others through speaking and listening” — central to academic and social success.

• The National Literacy Trust warns that children who begin school with poor speech and language skills are far less likely to achieve age-related expectations later on.

In short: if we want confident learners, we need confident speakers.

🌟 Why LoftTalk Is a No-Brainer

Whether you’re a teacher looking to track oracy progress, a school leader seeking innovative ways to evidence communication development, or a parent wanting to nurture confidence at home — LoftTalk makes it simple.

It’s intuitive, research-aligned, and built by someone who’s seen both sides — the classroom and the living room. Because communication isn’t just another skill to tick off the curriculum. It’s the bridge between learning and life.

👉 Discover LoftTalk today. Help every learner speak, think, and grow with confidence.

Visit www.learningloft.co.uk to sign up as a school, teacher, or parent.