Read this original contemporary speech-style practice extract.

Last Tuesday, I ate lunch on the steps outside the sports hall. I was trying to finish a conversation with a friend while people crossed in front of us carrying bags and trays. We kept stopping to let them pass. By the time the bell rang, we had barely spoken.

That is why I am asking the school to try a quiet lunch room in the old art room. It would be open twice a week, with a member of staff present. Pupils could read, talk quietly or simply sit down. There would be no extra equipment to buy: the room already has tables and chairs. A rota of volunteers could help return it to normal before the next lesson.

This would not suit everyone, and it would not replace the playground or the dining hall. But it would give pupils another place to spend part of lunchtime. We could try it for a month and ask those who use it what worked. Then we would have something more useful than a guess: we would know whether the room deserves a place in the school week.