Spoken Language
KS2EN-Y5-D001
Development of listening, speaking, communication, drama and debate skills across all contexts (statutory for all years 1–6).
National Curriculum context
Spoken language is a statutory programme running across all six years of primary education and is not separated into year-group blocks. In Years 5 and 6, the curriculum specifically states that pupils' confidence, enjoyment and mastery of language should be extended through public speaking, performance and debate, marking a significant shift from the participatory discussion expected in lower KS2. Pupils are expected to consider and evaluate different viewpoints, to challenge views courteously, and to select appropriate registers for different purposes and audiences — skills that underpin academic writing and secondary school discourse. The spoken language programme also functions as a cross-curricular thread: pupils use talk to speculate, hypothesise, imagine and explore ideas across all subjects, not only in English lessons. By Year 5, pupils should be building on secure oral language foundations to engage with increasingly formal modes of communication, preparing them for the explicit demands of KS3 English and beyond.
2
Concepts
1
Clusters
1
Prerequisites
2
With difficulty levels
Lesson Clusters
Perform compositions and engage in formal debate and public speaking
practice CuratedPerforming compositions and public speaking/formal debate are the two upper-KS2 spoken language competencies; C034 co_teach_hints list C035, confirming they are taught together as a performance and formal oracy pair.
Teaching Suggestions (2)
Study units and activities that deliver concepts in this domain.
Persuasion and Discussion: Balanced Argument
English Unit Discussion and DebatePedagogical rationale
At Y5, discussion writing becomes more analytically demanding. Pupils must move beyond simple for/against to acknowledge complexity, use hedging language (may, could, tends to), and build cohesion across paragraphs. The formal debate component develops the spoken language competence needed for secondary school. Modal verbs and passive voice are statutory Y5 grammar and fit naturally into academic register.
Poetry: Classic and Contemporary Comparison
English Unit Creative ResponsePedagogical rationale
At Y5, poetry study introduces comparison across time periods and styles — a skill directly required for KS3 and GCSE. Comparing a classic poem with a contemporary response develops critical awareness that poetry exists in dialogue across time. The writing task (responding to a classic poem) gives pupils a scaffold while demanding original expression.
Prerequisites
Concepts from other domains that pupils should know before this domain.
Concepts (2)
Performing compositions
skill Specialist TeacherEN-Y5-C034
Performing their own and others' writing with appropriate intonation, volume and movement so that meaning is clear to an audience. At upper KS2 mastery, pupils understand that performance is an act of interpretation and that choices about voice and movement convey meaning. This connects reading aloud, drama and composition, reinforcing the relationship between writing and speech.
Teaching guidance
Provide explicit opportunities for pupils to prepare and rehearse performances of their own writing. Teach specific techniques: varying pace, emphasis, volume and pause. Video performances and allow pupils to self-evaluate. Connect to drama skills (role, character, performance) and to spoken language objectives around public speaking.
Common misconceptions
Pupils often mumble or rush when performing, undercutting the meaning they have crafted in their writing. Some pupils read in a flat monotone, not varying intonation to reflect the meaning of the text. Others exaggerate performance to the point of obscuring meaning.
Difficulty levels
Reading own writing aloud with basic clarity, projecting voice so that listeners can hear.
Example task
Read the poem you wrote last week to your partner. Make sure they can hear every word clearly.
Model response: The pupil reads their poem at an audible volume, pronouncing each word clearly, though without much variation in tone or pace.
Performing compositions with some variation in intonation, volume and pace to convey meaning, with preparation time.
Example task
Prepare to perform your story opening to the class. Practise three times, focusing on using your voice to show the mood of the scene.
Model response: The pupil reads their story opening more slowly during the spooky parts and speeds up during the action. They lower their voice for suspense and raise it for dialogue.
Performing compositions using appropriate intonation, volume and movement so that meaning is clear to the audience, with evidence of rehearsal and deliberate interpretive choices.
Example task
Perform your persuasive speech to the class. Use eye contact, deliberate pauses and changes in volume to emphasise your key arguments.
Model response: The pupil makes eye contact with the audience rather than reading from the page. They pause before their strongest argument for dramatic effect. They raise their voice for the key statistic and slow down for the conclusion to give the audience time to reflect.
Performing with confidence and artistry, making interpretive choices that enhance meaning, and evaluating own and others' performances with reference to specific techniques.
Example task
Watch a classmate perform their poem. Give specific feedback on one technique they used well and one suggestion for improvement, with reference to how their choices affected the meaning for the audience.
Model response: You used a long pause before the final line really effectively because it made the audience lean in and pay attention to the ending. One suggestion: when you described the storm, your voice stayed at the same volume throughout. If you had started quietly and built to a loud climax, the audience would have felt the storm growing, which would match the meaning of the poem more closely.
Delivery rationale
Spoken language concept — requires live dialogue, social interaction, and performance assessment.
Public speaking and formal debate
skill Specialist TeacherEN-Y5-C035
In Years 5 and 6, pupils' confidence, enjoyment and mastery of language should be extended through public speaking, performance and debate. At upper KS2 mastery, pupils can give structured spoken presentations, argue a position in formal debate, use notes purposefully, maintain focus on a topic, and evaluate different viewpoints, building on others' contributions courteously.
Teaching guidance
Teach formal debate structure: proposition, opposition, rebuttal, summing up. Practise note-making for speeches rather than reading scripts. Provide explicit criteria for effective public speaking and use peer assessment against these criteria. Build in regular opportunities for formal presentations in English and across the curriculum.
Common misconceptions
Pupils often read directly from notes rather than using notes as prompts. They may confuse having a strong view with debating effectively — skill in debate requires responding to the opposing argument, not simply repeating one's own position more loudly.
Difficulty levels
Contributing a spoken point or opinion in a whole-class or small-group discussion, with some structure provided by the teacher.
Example task
In our class discussion about whether animals should be kept in zoos, share your opinion with the group. Start with 'I think...' and give one reason.
Model response: I think animals should not be kept in zoos because they cannot run around freely like they would in the wild.
Giving a short spoken presentation using notes as prompts, and beginning to respond to others' points in discussion.
Example task
Give a one-minute talk to your group about a book you would recommend. Use notes to help you, but do not read a script. Then answer one question from the group.
Model response: The pupil speaks for about a minute using brief notes, making eye contact with listeners. They mention the title, author, what it is about, and why they recommend it. When asked 'Who would enjoy it?', they answer with a specific suggestion.
Giving structured formal presentations and participating in debates with proposition, opposition and rebuttal, maintaining focus on the topic, using notes where necessary, and evaluating different viewpoints courteously.
Example task
Participate in a class debate on the motion 'Homework should be banned in primary schools.' Prepare arguments for your assigned side, including a rebuttal of the opposing view.
Model response: Proposition: Homework should be banned because research shows it has little impact on primary-age learning. Children need time to play, rest and spend time with their families after a full school day. The opposition may argue that homework builds independent study skills, but we believe these can be developed in school through project-based learning instead. In summary, the evidence does not support homework for primary children, and the time would be better spent on activities that support wellbeing.
Leading and managing formal discussions, evaluating the strength of arguments (including their own), adapting register for formal contexts, and using rhetorical techniques to persuade.
Example task
Chair a class debate. Introduce the motion, manage speakers from both sides, and deliver a fair summing up that identifies the strongest arguments from each side.
Model response: The pupil introduces the motion clearly and explains the rules. They manage turn-taking fairly, ensuring both sides get equal time. In summing up: 'The strongest argument from the proposition was that homework research shows minimal impact at primary level, because this was supported by evidence. The strongest argument from the opposition was that homework teaches responsibility, which is harder to measure but important for secondary readiness. Both sides made valid points, but the proposition's evidence base was stronger overall.'
Delivery rationale
Spoken language concept — requires live dialogue, social interaction, and performance assessment.