In last month’s blog we looked at the topic of ‘reading for pleasure’, and looked at the importance of developing good language skills through reading and writing and the impact that poor reading skills can have on educational outcomes. In this post we are going to explore the speech and language crisis that schools are facing, which is part of the same problem, and is getting worse across the UK.
The TES magazine online recently published an article which claims that we are now at crisis levels and asked – what can be done? We decided to explore this topic and take a look at the different resources available to schools.
Table of Contents
The problem that schools are facing with speech and language
Speech and Language UK published a blog last summer which stated that:
“According to research, 7.6% of children – or two children in every classroom – have a lifelong speech and language challenge called Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). However, the number of pupils identified as receiving support for speech, language and communication skills in England is much lower. In fact, there are potentially over 360,000 children with DLD in England who are not receiving the support they need.”
Challenges in Providing Support
Limited Ressources & Undiagnosed Cases
are often not adequately supported due to limited resources and long waiting lists for speech and language therapists. Even when children are seen, the support provided is often brief. This leaves many children without the consistent help they need.
Additionally, some children with speech and language difficulties may mask their challenges through undesirable behaviour, shyness, or reluctance to participate in lessons, making it harder to identify their needs. As a result, it often falls to schools to recognise these hidden difficulties and ensure the right support is in place.
Teacher Responsibility & Awareness
As quoted in the TES article:
“Teachers are generally very good at picking up that the pupil may not be where they’re expected to be, but they don’t always think that it’s a language issue”
So plugging the gap is not something that teachers can always do. That being said, there are some wonderful initiatives being rolled out in primary and secondary schools across the UK, and we will look at some of these a bit later.
Whatever the reason, speech and language is in crisis and professionals are asking how this can be addressed.
“A report by Speech and Language UK (1-3) estimates that 1.9 million children are behind with their talking and/or understanding of words – the highest number ever recorded. This is 1 in 5 children. This has increased since 2022 when the estimate was 1.7 million.”
Why Is the Speech and Language Crisis Getting Worse?
If the levels are much higher than ever before, professionals are asking themselves why. What is the cause of declining speech and language skills, and is it down to just one thing, or a ‘perfect storm’ of varying factors. It is often stated that this crisis is the result of the lockdowns during the Covid pandemic, where many children who were at the vital stages of developing speech and language skills, were kept inside and not allowed to socialise.
Another factor which has been repeatedly linked to poor speech development is the increasing use of technology by little children who are having less time to practice speech, and less conversations with adults and siblings.
It is hard to deny that children are not exposed to too much screen time, and this is having a negative impact on their speech development. UNICEF states:
“…. the World Health Organization recommends no screen time for babies under 2 and no more than one hour of screen time a day for those aged 2 to 4….While reading storybooks out loud gives children time to process words, images and voices, the constant absorption of on-screen images and messages affects their attention span and focus. ”
It is unlikely that many parents (including myself!) can always stick to these limits, and we have all been guilty of allowing too much screen time. That is OK if it’s every so often, but not when screens are replacing parental care, conversations and time to be bored and play.
It is recommended that children with DLDs receive support as early as possible, preferably in the Early Years. But support can be accessed throughout the school life of a child and is more effective if support is ongoing. What schools are seeing is that some children are being discharged early on but actually would still benefit from intervention. This is down to the fact that speech therapy is in high demand and short supply.
Gone are the days where the speech therapist would regularly be seen around the school.
Speech and Language and Special Educational Needs (SEN)
Children who have SEN and speech and language problems are particularly at risk of being failed by the lack of support available. The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists wrote a report in 2018 which stated:
“The RCSLT supports the principle of inclusion for children with SEN as long as that inclusion is meaningful. Appropriate communication support is paramount to meaningful inclusion for children with SEN to ensure that they can participate, learn and achieve in mainstream settings.
[…] we support the view that quality of provision is paramount to upholding the rights of the child. Language skills affect the quality of a child or young person’s life.
They:
• Provide the building blocks for learning. They provide the foundation for child literacy and are key to children’s academic attainment.
• Are central to social mobility. The ability to communicate allows children and young people to fully participate in society, communicate their needs and achieve their potential.
• Are closely linked with social disadvantage, as well as youth offending and longterm unemployment in adulthood. Every child with SLCN has a right to speech and language therapy in a setting that can support them to realise their full potential.”
The key word here is quality of provision, we have seen the difficulties that sometimes professionals have in correctly diagnosing and helping children with DLDs and SEN. This is where properly trained speech therapists are vital.
How Schools Are Supporting Pupil with Speech and Language Needs
Schools are doing a brilliant job supporting pupils with speech problems. So what exactly are the interventions that are being used in schools and childcare settings?
It varies from school to school, but some examples are:
Singing curriculum – Singing helps children develop rhythm, intonation, and memory skills, while encouraging clear articulation and expanding vocabulary.
Spoken poetry – Reciting poetry improves pronunciation, fluency, and expressive language, while building confidence in speaking aloud.
Early phonics work – Phonics teaches children to connect sounds with letters, strengthening their ability to decode words, which supports both speech clarity and literacy.
Pictures instead of words stories – Using images encourages children to describe what they see, boosting vocabulary, sentence formation, and storytelling skills.
In schools across the UK, speech therapy is known as SaLT, Speech and Language Therapy. Some schools such as Redriff Primary in London, are lucky enough to have regular visits from a speech therapist.
Sometimes, schools have work set by a SLT which the TA will then do with the children. This may work well in some schools, if there are enough staff to cover the sessions and this can depend on how many children require this provision.
Poor speech and language skills will severely limit a child’s ability to access the curriculum and understand what is going on in the classroom. If these problems are not picked up, then the child falls further and further behind. Often poor educational outcomes are the result, along with limited opportunities in life.
Astonishingly, 60% of young offenders have speech and language issues.We can see from this statistic how children’s lives can be impacted if they are not given the right support and guidance during their school days.
How Our Pupil Planners and Reading Records Can Help Support Speech and Language Development
At The School Planner Company, our customised pupil planners are designed to support pupils with speech and language needs. They include reading records and spelling sections to boost vocabulary and encourage daily practice. Home-school communication pages help teachers and parents work together to support each child’s progress.
We also offer phonics guides, word banks, and sentence starters to help pupils develop their reading, writing, and speaking skills. Target-setting pages and merit trackers keep pupils motivated and focused on their goals.