Key Stage 1 English · Spoken language

KS1 speaking to an audience: a guide for parents

Speaking to an audience is where children in Years 1 and 2 practise being heard and understood by more than one friend: talking to the whole class, joining in assemblies and performances, and taking part in role play. They learn to speak loudly and smoothly enough to be understood, to keep their listeners interested, and to change the way they speak to suit who they are talking to.

Speaking clearly to an audience, explained

Speaking audibly means being loud enough to be heard at the back of the room, facing the listeners rather than the floor or the teacher’s shoes. Speaking fluently means smoothly: not rushing, not stopping after every word. Teachers often practise voice volumes with children, such as a whisper voice, a talking voice and an across-the-room voice, so that they can choose the right one. For a nervous child the most useful advice is usually to slow down and to pause at the end of each sentence.

Children are also taught an increasing command of Standard English, which is the form of English used in formal speech and writing across the country. It is about grammar and word choice, not accent. A teacher might help a child move from “We was at the beach” to “We were at the beach”, or from “I done a drawing” to “I did a drawing”. A child who says “we was” at home is not wrong at home. The aim is to add a second way of speaking for school and formal occasions, not to replace the way the family talks. Regional accents are not corrected.

Children are expected to take part in discussions, presentations, performances, role play, improvisation and debates, but at this age these are small. Typical activities are show and tell, saying a poem aloud, a class assembly, a role-play shop, vet or café, and puppet shows. Many schools put on a seasonal performance, though which one is the school’s choice. A debate in Year 1 or 2 might be as simple as “Should we have a class pet?”, with children voting and each giving a reason.

Good speakers also keep their listeners interested. Children are taught to gain attention (with a question, a prop or a surprising fact), to maintain it (by varying their voice, pausing and looking at faces) and to monitor it, which means noticing whether the audience is following. A child who sees puzzled faces might say it again more slowly. At five to seven this is mostly modelled by the teacher, and children’s first steps are simple: look at your audience and check, “Can everybody hear me?”

The last idea is register, meaning the way we choose words and tone to suit the situation. A child might say to a friend in the playground, “Come and see my picture,” and to a visitor, “Would you like to see my picture, please?” Neither is better; each fits. Teachers practise the polite “visitor voice” through role play, greetings, saying please and thank you, and speaking in full sentences. Shy children are usually brought on gradually: first to a partner, then a small group, then the class.

Words your child will hear

Audible: Loud enough to be heard. An audible voice carries to the back of the room.
Fluent: Smooth and steady, without stopping or rushing.
Audience: The people who are listening or watching.
Standard English: The form of English used in formal speech and writing. It is about grammar and words, not accent.
Role play: Acting a part, such as a shopkeeper or a character from a story.
Register: Choosing the words and tone to suit who you are talking to, such as a friend or a visitor.

What the National Curriculum says

In Key Stage 1, pupils should be taught to:

Speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English
Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play/improvisations and debates
Gain, maintain and monitor the interest of the listener(s)
Select and use appropriate registers for effective communication

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: a one-minute talk about a favourite toy

A child has been asked to tell the class about a favourite toy. How can they plan and give a talk that people want to listen to?

Plan three things to say: what the toy is, why they like it, and one surprising thing about it. They bring the toy in a bag so they can reveal it, then hold it up so everyone can see.
Start with something that gets attention, such as a question: “Can anyone guess what is in my bag?”
Speak in full sentences and Standard English. Instead of “It were my birthday and we was at my nan’s”, they say “It was my birthday and we were at my nan’s.”
Speak at the right speed and volume. They say the first sentence, check that the back row can hear, and pause after each of the three points.
Watch the audience. If someone looks puzzled, the speaker says that part again in simpler words, and then invites questions: “Does anyone want to ask me something?”
Finish the way you would for a visitor, not a friend: “Thank you for listening.”

“Can anyone guess what is in my bag? It’s my bear, Bruno. I got him for my birthday when we were at my nan’s. I like him because he is very soft and he has a squeaky nose. The surprising thing is that he has a tiny pocket on his back. Thank you for listening. Does anyone have a question?”

Common mistakes and how to help

Speaking up means shouting

A child who is told to “speak up” often tries louder and louder, and the result sounds cross or strained.

What helps: Talk about “a voice for the back of the room”, not a shout. Practise by saying a sentence to someone across the room or garden.

Talking fast to get it over with

Nerves make speakers hurry. The listeners then lose the words, and the speaker gets more worried.

What helps: Practise to a soft toy or the family. Show a pause by taking a breath at each full stop, and praise it when you hear it.

Believing Standard English means talking posh or losing your accent

People often mix up grammar with accent, and a child may worry that using “school words” makes them sound different from friends and family.

What helps: Explain that accents are welcome and that Standard English can be spoken in any accent, because it is about how sentences are put together. Describe it as an extra way of speaking for school and special occasions, not a replacement for the way your family talks.

Talking only to the teacher or the floor

The teacher is the person who usually responds, so children talk to them and forget the rest of the room. Others look down because it feels safer.

What helps: Show them how to pick two friendly faces on different sides of the room and look at each in turn. Practise at home by talking to different people round the table.

How to help at home

Show and tell at tea. Your child brings an object to the table and tells the family about it for 30 seconds. Everyone listens, then asks one question. It is the school activity in a safe place.
Play with voice volumes. Take turns saying the same sentence in a whisper voice, a talking voice and an across-the-room voice. Ask which one fits at a library, a table and a park.
Say it to the right person. Ask, “How would you say it to a friend? To a grown-up you don’t know? To a shopkeeper?” This makes register into a game and shows that the words change with the person.
Put on a family show. Learn a short poem or song, or act out a story with puppets, for relatives or neighbours. A real audience, even a small one, teaches a child more about volume and pace than any amount of talking about it.
Echo gently. If your child uses a non-standard form, say the standard one back in your reply without comment. “We was at the shops” gets “You were at the shops? How lovely.” They hear it often enough that it begins to sound right.

Leads on to

Years 3 and 4: Listening, questioning and group talk
Years 3 and 4: Explaining and justifying ideas
Years 3 and 4: Presenting, performing and debating