Training & Support
- 9 in 10 teachers say situation has deteriorated since 2020
- Half say it’s easy to mistake speech issues for maths or literacy problems
- 9 in 10 say problems have made teaching more difficult
Half of primary school teachers think up to 1 in 5 children have speech and language issues and a further third think the numbers are nearer to 2 in 5. Moreover, almost all think the problem has worsened in the past five years and that it has made teaching much more difficult.
The findings, from a YouGov survey commissioned by assessment provider GL Assessment (a Renaissance company), show that teachers are grappling with increasing numbers of children starting school who have poor talking skills. 44% of primary school teachers say up to 1 in 5 children struggle to communicate at the expected level for their age, and a further 37% say up to 2 in 5 do.
Nine in ten primary school teachers (89%) say the problem has worsened since 2020 and three-quarters (76%) believe parents are often in denial about any speech and language issues their children may have.
Most primary school teachers say that speech and language issues tend to become apparent as soon as children start school (48%) or beforehand (33%). However, almost half of them (46%) say they are easy to mistake for reading and maths problems and a quarter (27%) say they are often misidentified as behavioural issues.
Half of primary school teachers (49%) say that too many of their colleagues think oracy is just talking without needing structured teaching. However, 8 in 10 (79%) worry that if oracy becomes a government target it will affect how much time is spent on other priorities.
Teachers largely blame the deterioration on the decline in conversation at home (58%), increased time watching visual content (47%) or online and social media (44%) as well as the lack of meaningful conversations at home and out of school (36%).
Three-quarters (72%) also say most people wrongly assume that speech and language problems mainly affect disadvantaged children, whereas almost all primary school teachers (94%) think they can affect any child regardless of background.
As a result, schools are facing an unprecedented challenge that parents and the public are seemingly unaware of. Nine in ten primary school teachers (92%) say that the decline in language skills has made teaching more difficult and similar numbers (93%) believe the public don’t comprehend the crisis schools are dealing with. Nor, say 91% of teachers, do parents understand that a decline in oracy inevitably means that there is a knock-on effect on literacy.
Crispin Chatterton, Director of Education at Renaissance, said: “Oracy is crucial. If children lack the ability to communicate effectively, every aspect of their school experience suffers. Not only are they unable to participate fully in lessons, but opportunities to socialise with their peers and ultimately their life chances are also greatly reduced. 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.”
Geoff Barton, former General Secretary of headteachers’ union ASCL and Chair of the Oracy Commission for Oracy Education, said the survey results underlined the importance of talking skills. “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. We don’t want children to be victims who are ‘lost for words’. We want to give them agency in their learning, a voice in their future.”
Martin Galway, Head of School Programmes at the National Literacy Trust, said: “The combined impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, 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 that they need to have the best start in school. Learning to talk and communicate when you are young is the foundation of all literacy skills and helps children thrive.
“Our Early Words Matter 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,” Galway added.
Charlotte Ledley, Programme Director, Cradle to Career Halton Lea and Knowsley, Right to Succeed charity, commented: "Language is such an important part of a child's development as this helps to shape their academic success and social development. Assessing early speech and language skills really lays the foundation for future success for children. Working with GL Assessment and their WellComm assessment, we are able to identify the needs of children early and for those who need it, provide extra support and guidance as part of the Cradle to Career project."
Last October, The Oracy Commission, chaired by Mr Barton, 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.
The survey forms part of the GL Assessment report, Lost for Words: how children struggle to participate when they can’t articulate, which will be published on Tuesday 11 March:
www.gl-assessment.co.uk/lost-for-words
Ends
Notes for editors
YouGov surveyed 1,021 teachers – 572 in primary schools, 414 in secondary schools, 35 in all-through schools – online during January and February 2025.
About GL Assessment
GL Assessment, a Renaissance company, is a leading provider of formative assessments to schools and school groups in the UK and in over 100 countries worldwide. It provides assessments that help to reveal students' potential, track their progress and identify any barriers to learning they might have. www.gl-assessment.co.uk
For more information please contact:
Mark Cooper, Gerard Kelly & Partners, 0203 763 2703 / 07879 407 283