Oracy Mentoring: Empowering young voices

Over the last two weeks, a group of Year 12 students have been hard at work designing and delivering an oracy workshop for Year 6 pupils at Berkhamsted Prep. The students were tasked with designing a session that would inspire pupils to face their fears and embrace their voices.

Led by Anna Chatwin, Deputy Head of Teaching, Learning and Innovation, the workshop was formed of two parts. First, the Year 12 students attended training hosted by an external speech coach, where they were asked to consider what makes a good orator. Examples such as Stephen Fry, Tony Blair, Barack Obama and even some Berkhamsted teachers were discussed in detail. Students identified that pitch, tone, volume, speed and emotion all contribute to a compelling speech. These can be boiled down to the cornerstones of public speaking: the three Ps (pitch, pace and pause).

Armed with their new knowledge, the Year 12s set to work designing workshops for the Year 6s. With only two Sixth Form students per group of ten Year 6s, they had to brainstorm ideas for keeping pupils engaged. Discussions around inclusivity, setting boundaries and promoting listening all helped build productive session plans that would help the young pupils embrace their voices.

“Sometimes the best teaching is when we’re not involved,” Anna Chatwin says. “This is a great leadership opportunity for the Year 12s, and the impact they will have on the Year 6s is arguably greater than that of teachers – they are influential figures in their school journey.”

On the day of the workshop, the excited Year 6s were introduced to their mentors and quickly got stuck in with some icebreaker games that focused on the importance of communicating. One group was tasked with organising themselves into categories without speaking to one another, while another played an energetic game of charades. A play on the classic radio show ‘Just a Minute’ saw pupils try to talk for as long as possible without hesitating or using filler words – certainly a challenge!

After a round of games, the Year 12 mentors focused on storytelling and using the three Ps to help elevate speech. Pupils shared their fears and how they overcame them and gave feedback to one another on their use of pace, pitch and pause. Mentors stepped in with constructive comments like ‘speak more slowly’, ‘project your voice’ and ‘think about what you’re going to say before you say it’.

At the end of the workshop, pupils were confident in the skills needed to be a good orator. But this was just the beginning of the challenge for the Year 6s! Pupils were then asked to create a video on the theme of ‘embracing your voice’, using the lessons they had learnt in the workshop to take their speech to the next level.

In the near future, some of these Year 6s will be invited to speak at an upcoming Sixth Form assembly to showcase their skills and model strong oracy back to their mentors. Year 12s will then be able to see the direct impact of their efforts and build confidence in their own leadership. This student-led approach was empowering for both year groups involved and will continue to forge strong connections across the Schools Group. For many of our current Year 6s going into senior school as Year 7s next year, their oracy mentors will be at the top of the school as Year 13s – acting as role models and mentors, but also a friendly face representing the end of their Berkhamsted journey.