Atwood’s Big Debate for Key Stage 2

Do good manners matter?

In this new feature for Atwood, Mr Veale is launching ‘The Big Debate’ on topics that may affect you as children in Key Stage 2.

You can either have your say via the Google Form that has been placed on your Google Classroom page, or by accessing the Google Form using this link: Do good manners matter?

What you need to know

• Manners are rules for how people should behave around each other.  Professor Pier Forni, who researched manners, called them ‘traffic lights for life’.  They make it so that we don’t ‘crash into each other’ in our everyday behaviour.
• Some manners are based on being sensitive to people’s feelings.  Others are about rules about things like holding a knife and fork the right way, which is also known as etiquette.
• Good manners aren’t the same everywhere.  In some countries burping is a way of thanking the chef for the good meal but in others, it’s definitely not!

Read below to help you make your decision

YES

1. Good manners cost nothing and being considerate to other people means they are more likely to do the same.  They help make the world a kinder place.
2. Putting dirty feet on seats and coughing over food can spread germs, so manners help to keep everyone safe.
3. Even though they change over time, manners always have the same aim, which is to make people feel happy and respected- and that’s a good thing.

NO

1. It’s important to be honest.  Manners can put pressure on people to behave in a way that hides they way they feel.
2. Lots of manners, such as not putting our elbows on the table, do not make sense and are out of date.  They’re no longer needed and belong in the past.
3. Manners are just a random set of rules.  As long as people are kind to each other, they should be allowed to behave as they please.

Go on, have your say, and I will reveal the results of the survey in our next Big Debate.

Mr Veale