Publication of foundation stage profile results nationally showed that the achievement gap between children and young people in Leicester and the rest of the UK at 11 years (Key Stage 2) and at 16 years in GCSE performance, was apparent at the foundation stage, demonstrating the need to intervene early. Indications that as many as 70% of Leicester’s children were below national averages in communication, language and literacy development (CLLD) at the end of the foundation stage highlighted the severity of the problem.
Aim
The clear aim is to improve children’s communication skills, which impacts on children’s health, educational attainment and economic success into adulthood.
Delivery
The Talk Matters strategy is being delivered through children’s centres and operates at three levels:
1. Community – raising awareness of the importance of interacting with children to support their communication and language development; ensuring that all providers and
practitioners have appropriate training and resources; ensuring a range of community development activities that support language-rich environments.
2. Family – ensuring that all families: receive good information and guidance during
pregnancy and early childhood on how to promote their child’s communication skills from birth; understand the stages of communication development and are encouraged to engage in all areas of their child’s learning; have access to resources that promote good communication and know where to get help early if they think their child needs it.
3. Child – every child has assessments of their communication development at 9 and 24 months; receives the earliest possible intervention once a difficulty is identified; has access to language rich environments from birth to 5 years; experiences positive daily interactions with a carer if they attend a Leicester early years setting.
A universal, multi-agency, city-wide approach to developmental screening at 9 and 24 months is being piloted that can be implemented by a range of professionals. A coherent suite of four age-related preventative activities are being delivered in all children’s centres to help ensure that parents get the right information to keep them talking to their babies from birth, instead of intervening when something goes wrong. The aim is to have all early years practitioners trained to the Speech and Language Communications Framework (SLCF) universal level, and every setting to have one person trained to an enhanced level. Impact
For the second year running, percentage improvements in CLLD have increased in excess of agreed targets. Outcomes for children are improving, with an increase from 27% at a good level of achievement in 2006 to 44% in 2009.
Conclusion
Research cited in the I CAN report illustrates the scale of children affected and the multiple risks they face: up to 10% of children have a long-term, persistent communication disability, and approximately 50% in socially disadvantaged areas have significant language delay on entry to school. There is a strong correlation between communication disability and low attainment, mental health issues, poor employment or training prospects and youth crime. It is, therefore, a cause for considerable concern that, despite awareness of the importance of language and communication skills being raised in recent years, it remains generally
inadequate. This was reinforced by the Bercow Report which highlighted the fact that there is insufficient understanding of this amongst policy-makers and commissioners nationally and locally and sometimes parents and families themselves. A National Year of Speech,
Language and Communications, to be held in 2011, is most timely and should be fully exploited to address this shortcoming.
What is crucial is that, with the right support, many children with language delay go on to catch up with their peers, and those with a pre-school history of persistent disorders that can be resolved by age 5½ go on to perform within normal limits. Yet early years staff feel
inadequately equipped to help these children,54 and over 60% of primary teachers lack confidence in their ability to meet children’s language needs.55 This undoubtedly warrants national attention and action. There is, however, encouraging evidence emerging from a variety of local areas. Significantly, all five effective local practice examples featured in this chapter targeted support during this ‘window’ involving a large scale training programme and dissemination of information to equip staff and parents alike. The impact of these effective interventions has been hugely successful, as evidenced by marked improvements in children’s learning and achievement, practitioners’ confidence and parental feedback.
Key messages
• The scale of children affected is considerable: up to 10% of children have a long- term, persistent communication disability, and approximately 50% in socially disadvantaged areas have significant language delay on entry to school. There is a strong correlation between communication difficulties and low attainment, mental health issues, poor employment or training prospects and youth crime.
• As there is insufficient understanding amongst policy-makers and commissioners nationally and locally, and sometimes parents and families themselves, raising awareness of the importance of language and communication skills and creating language rich environments is urgently needed.
• With the right support, many children with language delay go on to catch up with their peers, and those with a pre-school history of persistent disorders that can be resolved by the age of 5½ (which appears to be a critical age). Effective support or intervention in the early years is vital to improving persistent disorders and speeding up the resolution of difficulties linked to social disadvantage.
• A skilled and confident workforce is critical, with the ability to identify communication problems at an early age, and distinguish between transient and persistent difficulties so that appropriate interventions can be put in place. Yet many early years staff feel inadequately equipped to help these children, and over 60% of primary teachers lack confidence in their ability to meet children’s language needs.
• Effective local practice was characterised by a large scale training programme and dissemination of information to equip staff and parents alike in successfully targeting early intervention and support, resulting in marked improvements in children’s
learning and achievement, practitioners’ confidence and parental feedback. Other key characteristics included the effective use of data, not least to track progress, building capacity through sharing the knowledge of specialist staff, and strong parental engagement.
• The National Year of Speech, Language and Communication 2011 should be fully exploited.