Press release from聽 All-Party Parliamentary Groups APPGs on Oracy, and Speech and Language Difficulties
鈥淪poken language is key to achieving School White Paper ambitions,” say All-Party Parliamentary Groups
The Government must recognise that spoken language is fundamental to developing and improving children鈥檚 literacy and numeracy. That is the call being made today (Friday, 25 February) by the Oracy All-Party Parliamentary Group and All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Speech and Language Difficulties.
The APPGs have come together to ensure that spoken language is front and centre in the forthcoming Schools White Paper so every child has the opportunity to succeed in school and life beyond. The evidence of why this matters is clear.
- One in four children who struggled with language at age five did not reach the expected standard in English at the end of primary school.[1]
- One in five children who struggled with language at age five did not reach the expected standard in maths at the end of primary school.[2]
- In areas of social disadvantage the impact can be even greater: in some areas of deprivation, more than 50% of children start school with delayed language skills.[3]
The APPGs鈥� joint call聽 follows a roundtable discussion with Robin Walker MP, Minister for Schools, on how schools can be better supported and encouraged to improve children鈥檚 spoken language and meet overarching requirements set out on the National Curriculum.
The APPGs welcome the Minister鈥檚:
- recognition that spoken language is fundamental to learning and to meeting targets in literacy and numeracy;
- Commitment to further discussions with the APPGs and their professional advisers 鈥� Voice 21, the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT), and I CAN 鈥� to explore how the Schools White Paper or wider measures to improve literacy can appropriately emphasise spoken language;
- support for and interest in evidence-based solutions to support children鈥檚 language development beyond the Early Years.
The APPGs also welcome the Minister鈥檚 recognition that the Schools White Paper should be aligned with proposals in the forthcoming SEND Green Paper to improve early identification and support for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.
The APPGs鈥� meeting comes just weeks after Voice 21, RCSLT and I CAN published a on the centrality of spoken language to developing literacy and numeracy skills.
The Schools White Paper provides an important opportunity to address educational inequality and the negative impact the pandemic has had on the already stubborn 鈥榣anguage gap鈥� across all ages, alongside supporting teachers and schools to overcome the barriers they face in prioritising children鈥檚 oracy.
To deliver that, the APPGs have stated that the White Paper must ensure:
- Spoken language is recognised as critical for the development of literacy and numeracy;
- Identifying and tackling underlying difficulties with spoken language is seen as key to tackling illiteracy and innumeracy;
- All children鈥檚 spoken language skills, especially those in the more deprived areas, are supported and developed through purposeful and intentional teaching throughout their school years;
- Children with persistent spoken language difficulties receive the support they and their teachers need so they can achieve their educational potential.
The impact of poor language skills is clear. The APPGs argue this can be addressed if spoken language is embedded in the Schools White Paper.
Schools Minister, Robin Walker said: 鈥淚t is my personal mission to help make England a world leader in literacy, and spoken language development is a core part of those plans.
We have already set an ambitious target for 90 per cent of children leaving primary school to meet the expected standards in reading, writing and maths by 2030.
In the coming weeks and months, my department will set out our long-term plan through the Schools White Paper, to deliver on our ambition for every child to have the right support and the right time to fulfil their potential.鈥�
Emma Hardy MP, Chair of the Oracy APPG: 鈥淭he Oracy APPG鈥檚 extensive demonstrated that the ability to speak and communicate well and with confidence is at the heart of everything we do – it is vital for children鈥檚 attainment, employability, wellbeing and success in life. Teachers know this and want support and information to make this a reality. Following our positive meeting with the Minister and his recognition of the importance of oracy, I am looking forward to seeing this reflected in the Schools White Paper to ensure all children have the same opportunity to develop their oracy skills throughout their time in school, and to build on and consolidate efforts in the Early Years to develop children鈥檚 language and communication.鈥�
Geraint Davies MP, Chair of the Speech and Language Difficulties APPG: 鈥淥ur very positive meeting with the Schools Minister acknowledged the central importance of speech and language in developing literacy and numeracy. We look forward to working with his team on the Schools White Paper and SEN Green Paper to help build a whole-school approach to embedding speech and language in learning with additional support for children who need it. This will improve all our children鈥檚 performance and life chances.鈥�
For more information, contact:
[email protected] / 020 7219 7166
[email protected] / 01482 219211
[3] Locke, A., Ginsborg, J. & Peers, I. (2002) Development and Disadvantage: implications for early years IJLCD Vol 37:1.
