Do you think state schools should do more to improve clarity of speech

[ReallyTired]

My son goes to a very rough state school where 30% of the kids are eligible for free school dinners. He is getting a good education, but developing a most atticous accent.

As the children are taught to read and write by synthetic phonics, you can see that the way they talk spills over into their writing. The spelling is perfect esturary. In someways it would be easier for them to learn to spell if they at least knew what standard English was even if they chose not to use it in their daily lives. Ie. They become quasi bilingual.

Would it help these kids if they had elecution lessons so that they would know how words are pronouced in standard English. Or would it be wrong to see regional accents as less good English.

Would it help the really bright kids when they are older and complete for uni places and job interview with the privately educated kids.

I don't have any issues with pronunciation, really. What I worry about is what is actually said. It drives me bonkers when 'like' is inserted willy-nilly, sometimes many times in one sentence; and "then I did like this" followed by a demonstration rather than a description.

Of course verbal skills should be taught at school. Agree that private school's teach these abilities and encourage these skills. No idea at all why state schools don't.

rebelmum they do it's part of the literacy framework

well what's the problem then ..

They don't apply what they are taught in the classroom when they leave it.

The national literacy stragery is totally overloaded and unrealistic with what it expects at a young age. Ie. expecting five year olds to use punctuation. There is just simply too much to pack into a school day.

My son was asked to write poetry in year 1 when he could hardly form his letters or use finger spaces. Wouldn't the time have better been spent listening to poetry or learning songs or poems.

Why not extend the foundation stage and concentrate on good speaking skills, play, life experiences like gardening, social skills, finge motor skills like Finland.

Formal education can come later than 5.

ReallyTired I'm talking about the speaking and listening thread of the primary framework and not the EYFS.

My mum was a secondary school teacher and once had a note from a parent which read:

"sory darren was of yesterdy, it was becos e band is ed."

I've got a note from a parent on my desk
"She is not aloud to do any form off PE... Also she has had blood test's done aswel then complains that her daughter is thick [hmm}

I really think the majority of children can do that by the time they leave school though, me,myson&I (if they are native to the language, anyway).

It's like a telephone voice. Almost everybody has one, they just don't bother speaking in it all day long.

I agree ConstanceWearing they have different "voices" for different social situations.

Thank you mrz.

Although the 'voices' can be just as thick as each other. One just has a more hoity-toity accent

Hmm. May have disproved my own theory there

Off for a re-think.

Piece of random and v useless info... that thing where people say 'bu-er' (butter without the 't's is called a glottel stop or something like that. (I said it was useless!)

Have you ever watched Sliding Doors? Gwyneth Paltrow bases her whole English accent on doing those all the time. V annoying!

I went to boarding school and have a very clear and well spoken, but fairly non-descript accent. Good for getting jobs (mum still says my accent is all I got out of boarding school!) but have never felt that I have fitted in, accent wise. Was big deal for me in my late teens and early twenties, when was friends with, eg., a lancashire lass at uni and all her friends from home spoke in the same accent as her. I think accents are lovely and give real personality. It definitely hasn't held my friend back.

Alright, have rethought this argument on the basis of the man at the corner shop yesterday.

He spoke like Brad Pitt in that film 'Snatch', with added benefits of him peing p*ssed, 70, and toothless.

He was absolutely incomprehensible, and the girl behind the counter was looking at him like 'wtf?'

So I tried to listen hard to his speech (as recommended by my own self earlier on the thread) and I understood something along the lines of 'don't look at me like ... blah blah blah .... (perfectly understandable English now, and loud) 'GOLD LEAF'.

He had the right arse that she couldn't understand him and he was totally unintelligible.

So, if you want to talk like that where people understand you (like home)- fine, but if you can speak plain English and it's clear people are not understanding you - speak blardy plain English.

How's that for a backdown?

Ta-da!