Most teachers say speech and language skills have deteriorated and made teaching more difficult over the past four years, according to a survey out today.
The poll of over 1,000 teachers - 572 in primary schools, 414 in secondaries and 35 in all-through schools - points to increasing numbers of children starting school with poor speech skills.
Some 44 per cent of primary school teachers say that up to a fifth of their pupils struggle to communicate at the expected level for their age; a further 37 per cent say the problem affects two in five pupils.
The YouGov survey, commissioned by assessment provider GL Assessment for its report, finds 89 per cent of primary teachers saying the decline in reading skills has worsened since 2020 and has made teaching more difficult.
Many teachers surveyed believe that parents are often in denial about any speech and language issues affecting their children.
Social media distractions
Teachers across the school spectrum blame the deterioration on factors such as a decline in conversation at home (58 per cent) and online and social media distractions (44 per cent).
Most primary teachers say that speech and language problems tend to become apparent as soon as children start school (48 per cent) or beforehand (33 per cent).
However, 46 per cent say they are easy to mistake for reading and maths problems, and 27 per cent say they are often misidentified as behavioural issues.
Half of primary teachers (49 per cent) say that too many of their colleagues think oracy is just talking without needing structured teaching.
However, 79 per cent worry that if oracy becomes a government target, it will affect how much time is spent on other priorities.
Some 72 per cent also say most people wrongly assume that speech and language problems mainly affect disadvantaged children, whereas almost all primary teachers (94 per cent) think they can affect any child, regardless of background.
GL Assessment is part of the assessment company Renaissance, its director of education Crispin Chatterton said that if children lack the ability to communicate effectively, “every aspect of their school experience suffers”.
He added: “It’s imperative that teachers are given the tools to help them identify and address any issues early on if we want to improve children’s talking skills.”
’Language, in all its forms, matters’
Geoff Barton, former general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders and chair of the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education, said that the survey underlined the importance of talking skills.
Mr Barton added: “Language, in all its forms, matters. And in an age when everyone is cross about everything, high-quality talk and active listening have never mattered more.”
Last year, the commission concluded that oracy should be embedded “throughout the primary and secondary national curriculum” and throughout each school’s culture.
At the time, the Department for Education said the recommendations would be considered during its curriculum and assessment review.
Martin Galway, head of school programmes at the National Literacy Trust, said the combined impact of Covid-19, the cost-of-living crisis and cuts to funding for early years services has likely played a significant role in the decline of children’s early language and communication skills.
He added: “Our campaign aims to support the communication, language and literacy skills of 250,000 children aged 0 to 5 in 20 communities across the UK through connecting with local authorities, businesses and community leaders.
“By working together to close the UK’s literacy gap, we can give more children and young people from disadvantaged communities the tools they need to prosper, driving a more equal society through literacy.”
The DfE has been contacted for comment.
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