Spoken Language
KS2EN-Y6-D001
Extending command of spoken language through public speaking, debate, performance and formal discussion (statutory for all years 1–6).
National Curriculum context
By Year 6, the spoken language programme reaches its primary culmination: pupils are expected to demonstrate confident, assured command of language across the full range of contexts specified since Year 1, with a particular emphasis on public speaking, performance and debate that is named specifically for upper KS2. The curriculum states that pupils' confidence, enjoyment and mastery of language should be extended through these modes, signalling that Year 6 is a year for consolidation and showcasing, not merely incremental development. Pupils at this stage should be selecting and using appropriate registers with conscious control — a skill that directly mirrors the formal/informal distinction introduced in Year 6 grammar. The spoken language requirements cross-cut all subjects: pupils use spoken language to explore ideas, to evaluate, to report on learning and to persuade, providing the oral scaffolding for the complex written tasks of secondary school. Teachers should ensure that formal oracy opportunities are genuinely stretching, with pupils receiving explicit feedback on the quality and effectiveness of their communication, preparing them for the extended discussion, essay-based argument and examination oral components of secondary education.
3
Concepts
2
Clusters
0
Prerequisites
3
With difficulty levels
Lesson Clusters
Deliver formal presentations and participate in debate with command and clarity
practice CuratedFormal presentation/public speaking and discussion/debate/collaborative talk are the two complementary spoken language competencies at Y6; C045 co_teach_hints list C046.
Use drama, role play and improvisation to explore language and meaning
practice CuratedDrama: performance, role play and improvisation is the creative spoken language concept at Y6; its focus on enactment, expression and interpretation distinguishes it from the presentational and deliberative spoken language above.
Teaching Suggestions (1)
Study units and activities that deliver concepts in this domain.
Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream
English Unit Text StudyPedagogical rationale
While Shakespeare is not statutory until KS3, the vast majority of primary schools introduce Shakespeare in Y6 as preparation for secondary school. A Midsummer Night's Dream is the most popular choice because its comedy, magic, and mistaken identity are accessible to 10-11 year olds. The performance element develops spoken language skills and confidence. Encountering Shakespearean language at Y6 reduces the anxiety of meeting it at KS3.
Concepts (3)
Presentation, performance and formal public speaking
skill Specialist TeacherEN-Y6-C045
By Year 6, pupils can deliver formal presentations and performances with command, clarity and audience awareness, adapting their spoken language for public, formal contexts. Mastery means pupils speak with confidence, control pace and volume, use formal vocabulary and registers deliberately, maintain the interest of their audience through varied tone and appropriate use of gesture and eye contact, and handle questions and follow-up with composure. This is the culmination of the spoken language curriculum's requirement for pupils to 'gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener.'
Teaching guidance
Provide regular opportunities for formal presentations to unfamiliar or larger audiences — not only the class teacher. Teach specific presentation techniques: structuring a presentation, using cue cards rather than a script, making eye contact with different parts of the audience, varying pace for emphasis. Video performances for self-analysis with specific criteria (eye contact, pace, volume, vocabulary). Connect to debate: formal debate requires all these skills plus the additional challenge of responding to an opposing argument in real time.
Common misconceptions
Pupils often conflate confidence in informal speech with competence in formal public speaking — the registers and skills are related but distinct. They may read from a script rather than using notes, which reduces naturalness and audience contact. Some pupils speak too quickly when nervous; explicitly teaching techniques for managing nervousness (breathing, deliberate pausing) is as important as teaching the content of a good presentation.
Difficulty levels
Delivering a short prepared talk to the class with clear speech, audible volume and basic structure (introduction, main points, ending).
Example task
Prepare a one-minute talk about a topic you know well, such as your favourite hobby. Use three prompt cards to help you. Speak clearly so everyone in the class can hear.
Model response: The pupil stands at the front and speaks at an audible volume. They use their prompt cards to move through three points: what the hobby is, why they enjoy it, and what they would recommend to someone trying it. They look up from their cards occasionally and finish with a clear closing sentence.
Delivering a prepared presentation with some attention to audience engagement, using deliberate eye contact, varied pace and appropriate formality for the context.
Example task
Present your research findings about a historical figure to the class. Aim to speak for two minutes. Use formal language because you are presenting facts, not chatting to a friend.
Model response: The pupil begins with a clear opening: 'Today I am going to share what I have discovered about Mary Anning.' They maintain eye contact with different parts of the audience, slow down for key facts, and use formal vocabulary such as 'significant' and 'contributed to'. They close with a summary sentence and invite one question.
Delivering formal presentations with command and clarity, adapting register to audience, using rhetorical techniques such as repetition, rhetorical questions or the rule of three, and responding confidently to audience questions.
Example task
Deliver a formal persuasive presentation to a panel of governors arguing for a change you would like to see in the school. You have three minutes. Anticipate at least one counter-argument and address it in your speech.
Model response: The pupil opens with a rhetorical question: 'Have you ever wondered why our school library closes at lunchtime, the only time pupils are free to use it?' They present three structured arguments using formal register, include a statistic from their survey, and pre-empt the counter-argument about supervision by proposing a rota of Year 6 library monitors. They conclude with a call to action: 'I urge you to consider this proposal, not for my benefit alone, but for every pupil who deserves access to books.' They answer two follow-up questions with composure.
Delivering presentations with confidence, artistry and adaptive audience awareness, adjusting content and register in real time based on audience response, and critically evaluating the effectiveness of their own and others' presentations.
Example task
After delivering your persuasive speech, watch a recording of your presentation. Write a self-evaluation identifying two specific techniques you used effectively and one area for improvement, with reference to how each affected the audience.
Model response: My opening rhetorical question worked well because I noticed the governors lean forward and several nodded, which showed I had engaged their attention immediately. My use of the rule of three in my conclusion was effective because it gave a sense of completeness and made my final point memorable. However, when Governor Patel asked about cost, I hesitated and my voice became quieter. Next time I would prepare supporting data for likely budget questions so I could maintain the same confident register throughout the question-and-answer section.
Delivery rationale
Spoken language concept — requires live dialogue, social interaction, and performance assessment.
Discussion, debate and collaborative talk
skill Specialist TeacherEN-Y6-C046
By Year 6, pupils can participate in and lead structured discussions and formal debates, contributing substantive and evidence-based points, responding to others' contributions constructively, challenging views courteously, and building on previous contributions to move the discussion forward. Mastery means pupils can hold two tasks simultaneously in discussion: developing their own thinking while monitoring and responding to the thinking of others, maintaining focus on the topic while adapting to the direction the discussion takes.
Teaching guidance
Use a range of formal discussion structures — Socratic seminar, philosophical enquiry, structured academic controversy — to develop different discussion skills. Teach specific discussion moves: adding, challenging, building, questioning, summarising. Train pupils to use evidence in discussion ('I agree, and the evidence from the text is...') and to disagree politely ('I see your point, but I would argue...'. Evaluate discussions explicitly against criteria, including both content (quality of argument and evidence) and process (listening, turn-taking, responding to others).
Common misconceptions
Pupils frequently equate discussion participation with speaking quantity, not recognising that listening and responding to others is equally important. In debates, pupils may read out prepared points without engaging with what the opposing side has said. Some pupils equate confidence in discussion with correctness, making them resistant to having their views challenged.
Difficulty levels
Contributing relevant points in a group discussion, listening to others and responding to what has been said rather than simply stating an unrelated opinion.
Example task
In a group of four, discuss whether school uniform should be compulsory. Each person must respond to what the previous speaker said before adding their own point. Use the sentence stem 'I agree/disagree with [name] because...'
Model response: I disagree with Aisha because she said uniform saves time in the morning, but I think it actually takes longer because you have to iron it. My own point is that uniform makes everyone look the same, which some people think is fair but I think stops you expressing who you are.
Participating in structured discussions with evidence-based contributions, building on others' ideas and beginning to distinguish between opinion, evidence and anecdote.
Example task
In a Socratic seminar about the class novel, respond to this question: 'Is the main character brave or foolish?' Support your answer with evidence from the text. Listen to at least one other person's point and respond to it.
Model response: I think the character is brave because on page 47 she chooses to go into the cave even though she is frightened, and the author writes 'her hands trembled but she stepped forward anyway'. That shows she felt the fear but acted despite it, which is what bravery means. James said she was foolish because she went alone, and I can see his point, but I think that makes her even braver because she did not have anyone to rely on.
Participating in and contributing substantively to formal debates and structured academic discussions, using evidence, evaluating opposing arguments fairly, and maintaining formal register throughout.
Example task
Participate in a structured academic controversy on the motion: 'Space exploration is a waste of money that should be spent on problems on Earth.' You will argue both sides. First, present the strongest case FOR the motion with evidence. Then switch and present the strongest case AGAINST.
Model response: FOR: Space exploration costs billions every year. NASA's annual budget is over 25 billion dollars. Meanwhile, millions of people lack clean water. Spending this money on water purification projects would save lives today rather than searching for possibilities in the distant future. AGAINST: Many technologies we use daily, including water filters, satellite weather forecasting and medical imaging, were developed through space research. Without space exploration these breakthroughs would not exist. Investment in space is not separate from solving problems on Earth; it contributes directly to solving them.
Leading and facilitating formal discussions, synthesising multiple viewpoints, identifying logical fallacies in arguments, and reaching reasoned conclusions that acknowledge complexity rather than oversimplifying.
Example task
Lead a philosophical enquiry session with your class on the question: 'Is it ever right to break a rule?' Facilitate contributions from at least four speakers, summarise the key positions, and offer a concluding synthesis that acknowledges the strongest points on each side.
Model response: The pupil opens by framing the question and establishing discussion norms. After facilitating four contributions, they summarise: 'We have heard two main positions. Priya and David argued that rules exist to keep everyone safe and fair, so breaking them is always wrong because it undermines trust. Fatima and Owen argued that some rules are unjust and that people like Rosa Parks showed breaking an unjust rule can be morally right. I think the key distinction is between rules that protect people and rules that harm people. Breaking a safety rule for personal convenience is different from breaking an unjust law to protect others. The answer depends on which type of rule we are talking about and whether the person has exhausted other options first.'
Delivery rationale
Spoken language concept — requires live dialogue, social interaction, and performance assessment.
Drama: performance, role play and improvisation
skill Specialist TeacherEN-Y6-C048
By Year 6, pupils participate in a range of dramatic activities — including role play, improvisation, script reading, and performance — using their voices, movement and expression to communicate character, mood and meaning. Mastery means pupils can commit to a dramatic role with confidence, adapt their spoken language and non-verbal communication for performance contexts, and use drama as a tool for exploring ideas, perspectives and texts. Drama experience directly supports the spoken language curriculum's requirements for public speaking, performance and debate.
Teaching guidance
Use drama as a learning tool across the curriculum, not only in dedicated drama lessons. In English, use hot-seating, freeze-frame and thought-tracking activities to deepen comprehension of texts and characters. Use improvisation to explore 'what if' scenarios relating to studied texts or historical events. Provide opportunities for prepared performance as well as spontaneous improvisation — each develops different skills. Connect to the performance of poetry and prose reading aloud, where vocal expression and physical presence serve similar communicative functions.
Common misconceptions
Pupils may be self-conscious about dramatic participation, particularly in improvisation; structured warm-up activities and a supportive classroom culture reduce this barrier. Some teachers treat drama as separate from English literacy learning, missing the rich connections between dramatic experience and reading comprehension, characterisation, and spoken language development.
Difficulty levels
Participating in simple role-play activities, staying in character and using voice and body language to convey a role, with teacher direction.
Example task
You are going to hot-seat as the wolf from the class story. Your classmates will ask you questions. Stay in character and answer as if you are the wolf. Think about how the wolf would speak and what the wolf would say.
Model response: The pupil adopts a different voice or posture for the wolf character. When asked 'Why did you blow down the house?', they answer in character: 'I was hungry and those pigs had no right to build on my land. I only blew because they would not open the door.'
Using drama techniques such as freeze-frame, thought-tracking and role-play to explore characters and situations from texts, showing understanding of different perspectives.
Example task
In groups of three, create a freeze-frame showing the moment in the story when the evacuee arrives at the new family's house. Each person takes a different role: the evacuee, the host mother, the host child. When the teacher taps your shoulder, speak your character's thoughts aloud.
Model response: Evacuee (thought-track): 'I do not know these people. Everything smells different. I am holding my suitcase so tightly because it is the only thing from home.' Host mother: 'This poor child looks terrified. I must make them feel welcome, but I am nervous too because I have never looked after someone else's child before.' Host child: 'I do not want to share my room. But they look so sad. Maybe it will be all right.'
Using drama as a tool for learning across the curriculum, sustaining character, improvising responses to unexpected situations, and reflecting on how drama deepens understanding of texts and topics.
Example task
Your class is studying the Roman invasion of Britain. In pairs, improvise a scene between a Roman soldier arriving in a Celtic village and a Celtic villager. Neither character speaks the other's language. Afterwards, explain what the drama helped you understand about the topic that reading alone did not.
Model response: The pair use gesture, facial expression and simple repeated words to communicate. The Roman soldier mimes putting down a weapon and offering food to show peaceful intentions. The Celtic villager steps back suspiciously, then cautiously approaches. Reflection: 'The improvisation helped me understand how frightening and confusing first contact must have been. Reading told me it happened, but acting it out made me feel the fear and the difficulty of not sharing a language. It also made me think about why some tribes cooperated and others resisted.'
Directing and evaluating drama, making deliberate choices about staging, characterisation and dramatic techniques to convey meaning, and analysing how drama contributes to understanding that other learning methods do not.
Example task
Direct a short scene from the class novel. Decide where the actors stand, how they speak, and what they do. After the performance, explain three directorial choices you made and how each one helped convey meaning to the audience.
Model response: I placed the two characters on opposite sides of the stage to show they are in conflict. I asked the actor playing the father to speak quietly rather than shout, because I think controlled anger is more powerful and more realistic. I added a long pause before the final line so the audience would feel the weight of the decision. Each of these choices was about showing meaning through staging rather than just saying the words, which is what a director does differently from a reader.
Delivery rationale
Spoken language concept — requires live dialogue, social interaction, and performance assessment.