Over the past few years the ESU has helped start major primary schools debating projects in London boroughs like Tower Hamlets, Newham and Hounslow.

Although debating often has an image of being for elite sixth formers, Key Stage 2 pupils really love the game-based nature of this exciting Speaking & Listening activity; so sign up to Discover Your Voice today and get your school involved in the growing primary debate movement.

Primary curriculum links

Debating and the National Curriculum

Debating has strong links with the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum. In addition to its usefulness as a way to discuss topics in any curriculum area, some of the explicit references to areas where debate can help are given here:

English: Speaking & Listening
1b. “to gain and maintain the interest and response of different audiences [for example, by exaggeration, humour, varying pace and using persuasive language to achieve particular effects]”
1e. “to speak audibly and clearly, using spoken standard English in formal contexts”
2e. “to respond to others appropriately, taking into account what they say”
3a. “to make contributions relevant to the topic and take turns in discussion”
3e. “to take up and sustain different roles, adapting them to suit the situation, including chair, scribe and spokesperson”

Citizenship
2a. “to research, discuss and debate topical issues, problems and events”
2f. “to resolve differences by looking at alternatives, making decisions and explaining choices”

Debating and the National Strategy

Participation in debate is likely to help progress towards many National Strategy objectives as it widens vocabulary, improves sentence construction and organisation of texts - some of the most explicit links are given here:

Year 5, Term 1, Text level objective 26: “to make notes for different purposes e.g. noting key points as a record of what has been read, listing cues for a talk, and to build on these notes in their own writing and speaking”

Year 5, Term 3, Sentence level objective 2: “to understand how writing can be adapted for different audiences and purposes e.g. by changing vocabulary and sentence structure”

Year 6, Term 2, Text level objective 18: “to construct effective arguments: developing a point logically and effectively, supporting and illustrating points persuasively, anticipating possible objections”

Debating is also explicitly part of the objectives outlined in the Primary National Strategy document “Speaking, Listening, Learning” including an objective in Year 6, Term 2 “to participate in a whole class debate using the conventions and language of debate, including standard English”.