Download 1 - A Better Start

Read On Get On
Early Language Overview June 2016
The Read On Get On interim goal is to have all children achieving good early language development
by the age of five by 2020. This brief summary outlines the current state of play in the UK, and what
would need to happen by 2020 for this interim goal to be achieved:
Children’s Language Levels In Early Years – The Situation Today
The hard fact is that not a single local authority area can say that it is currently achieving the interim
goal of good early language development for all five year old children1. The current situation is
therefore in great need of improvement. To move from today’s reality to a situation in 2020, less
than five years away, where all children have good language by the age of five will require a nationwide, coordinated approach driven by leadership across all sectors.
Looking at today’s reality, we site four sources of data:
1. Results from the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP)2 2015 show us that in the prime
area of communication and language approximately 80 % of children achieved at least the
expected level by the end of early years. While this is an increase from 77% during the previous
year, it does mean that a fifth of children do not have expected language levels when they start
school. Nearly a quarter of children in receipt of free school meals (an indicator of deprivation)
are not meeting the expected levels in communication and language.
2. Information from the Millennium Cohort Study3 has shown a gap between poor children and
their peers; in fact the gaps in children’s language development open up as early as three years.
New analysis by Newcastle University identified the fact that children from the lowest income
group were on average 17 months behind children in the highest income group at age three4.
Additionally, children who experienced poverty persistently between 9 months and 5 years of
age were at a much higher risk of poor language.
3. Regional data is being collected from areas where there has been a specific focus on supporting
children’s speech, language and communication (SLC). For example, Stoke on Trent have an
area wide strategy for SLC. In 2004 they assessed all children going into nursery and found up
to 64% had poor language. Eight years later in 2013, following an authority wide focus on early
language, similar assessments found around 46% had delayed language development.
1
Read On Get On (2014) Reading England’s Future
Department for Education (2015) Early years foundation stage profile results in England
3
Read On Get On Commissioned analysis from the Millennium Cohort study – this is based on children who
are now 15-16, so age 5 some ten years ago making it a little out of date.
4
Read On Get On (2014) How reading can help children escape poverty
2
4. Finally, evidence from some more up to date research studies in specific areas give further
information. For example, a 2014 study using standardised language scores5 showed an
unexpectedly high proportion of children from low socioeconomic status (SES) neighbourhoods
entered preschool provision without the most basic speech, language and attentional skills
expected to be in place at this age.
In summary, children’s early language levels have continued to improve – particularly where there
has been a focus on supporting those children with delayed language development. However, there
is an inconsistent pattern nation-wide. There continues to be a significant number of children
without the language levels needed to start reading. This is higher in areas of deprivation.
The July 2014 report from Read On Get On6 itself stated that carrying on at the same rate of change
will mean that we won’t meet our goal of all children with good early language development at age
5 by 2020.
What Needs To Happen To Reach The 2020 Interim Goal?
An action plan involving a number of inter-dependent factors is required:
1. Early support and identification through trained staff in early years and health settings. This
is essential; practitioners need easy access to more widely available training on the
importance of early language; this could be face to face using existing materials such as I
CAN Early Talk or via online portals such The Communication Trust’s Platform 3.
All practitioners need to know how to support early language. Greater awareness-raising is
needed for all practitioners, for example through the Early Language Development
Programme (ELDP) with a pathway to a level 3 qualification through Platform 3.
Why? Evidence shows that this makes a difference. Ofsted identified that the best settings
have a focus on developing skilled staff7. I CAN’s evidence supports this – staff with a good
understanding of speech, language and communication use more supportive strategies with
impacts on children’s language8. We know that the communication environment in the early
years have been found to be crucial in ensuring school readiness and lowering the risk of
poor attainment9.
2. Increasing Public Awareness – This is currently a major strand in Read On Get On. The
current focus is on working with parents to raise awareness of the importance of early
language to develop public outrage that young children aren’t being given the skills they
need for learning and life (making it a big issue). We know how difficult this behaviour
change is to achieve in a short time (e.g. the National Year of Communication) but changing
5
Roy, P., Chiat, S & Dodd, B. (2014) Language and Socioeconomic Disadvantage: From Research to Practice
http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/4989/
6
Read On Get On (2015) Ready to Read: Closing the gap in early language skills so that every child is can read
well
7
Ofsted 2013 Getting it right first time Achieving and maintaining high-quality early years provision
8
Whitmarsh et al (2012) Independent Evaluation of the impact of Early Talk on addressing SLCN in Sure Start
Children’s Centre settings DfE
9
Hart, B. And Risley, RR (1995) Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children.
Baltimore: Paul Brookes
the view to ‘talking is as important as walking’ would be a huge achievement and major step
towards change.
Why? This builds on current Read On Get On activity and politicians respond to public
opinion when expressed clearly and forcefully. Concentrating efforts involving more
organisations outside of the current campaign members following a more cohesive approach
would help drive this activity. Also, we need to feed in to other campaigns with similar
targets - for example, The 1001 Critical Days10.
3. Early language interventions for children with delayed language. These children benefit
greatly from a boost to their early language levels. The target would be to increase access to
effective intervention through local services.
It is important that these interventions are delivered by early years practitioners, skilled in
identifying those children who need them, and skilled in delivering the interventions. It is
also important to use existing and tested interventions. Examples include I CAN’s Early Talk
Boost – but a menu of options should be promoted, encouraging local practitioners to
decide which ones to use. Early language interventions enable practitioners to help close
the gap in children’s language development.
Why? The evidence clearly shows this has an impact on children’s communication. An
investigation into a range of early intervention programmes by the Early Intervention
Foundation11 found good evidence that group-based programmes coupled with parallel
work with the child had strong evidence of impact on communication and language skills.
Our own evidence shows that, with only 10 weeks intervention, young children can double
the rate of their progress in early language12.
4. More widely available information for parents. We know that many parents do not know
important early language milestones, and do not have the information they need. There are
two aspects to the information needed, information which:
o Highlights the importance of language development including the impact of later life
chances. Building on the workplan of the Read On Get On behaviour change
workstream would progress this work from the current ‘bursts’ of activity into a
more sustained approach through agreed information channels.
o Presents clear descriptions of language development and ways to support it. This
could direct parents to the tools that make a difference – providing freely
downloadable resources, activities, Apps, etc.
These information and resources are especially important in areas of social disadvantage
and with the harder to reach families.
Why? Parents are critical to children’s language development and we have an opportunity
to build on what has worked in specific regions of the UK e.g. Stoke and Nottingham – areas
identified through local champions. A piece of scoping work has already been completed by
10
1001 Critical Days campaign http://www.1001criticaldays.co.uk
Early Intervention Foundation (2015) The Best Start At Home: A Report On What Works To Improve The
Quality Of Parent Child Interactions From Conception To Age 5 Darlington Social Research Unit, University of
Warwick and Coventry University (eds)
12
I CAN (2015) Early Talk Boost evaluation report
http://licensing.ican.org.uk/sites/licensing.ican.org.uk/files/documents/Early-Talk-Boost-Evaluation2015.pdf
11
Read On Get On which can be further developed. The Place working group will have
suggestions on where to focus our energy in terms of specific regions or locations.
5. A greater push for speaking and listening as part of the curriculum in school. Although the
curriculum has moved away from a separate programme of study for speaking and listening,
and from requiring schools to measure progress in this area, Read On Get On should
continue to stress the importance of this skill so it is recognised and prioritised. Poor
language and communication skills have a significant impact on children’s academic success,
and therefore the centrality of these skills should be reflected in the curriculum – not just in
foundation stage. A large scale study of children in one area of the UK found that younger,
summer born, children in Reception year are more likely to have language difficulties.
Why? Many of the youngest children in the classroom do not have the language skills to
meet the demands of the curriculum. We know that a curriculum in the earliest years of
school with a focus on developing children’s oral language skills, social competencies and
behaviour control could have a positive effect on later academic success.13
6. On-going monitoring of progress and the level of understanding of the need for enhanced
language development. We should collect up to date information on the breadth of the
issue, which will be essential in monitoring the success of the 2020 interim goal. This can be
done using data from health practitioners and early years’ practitioners, such as the
Integrated Review. Currently, the first nationally reported measure is the Early Year
Foundation Stage Profile data when children are aged 5 but this from September 2016 this
will no longer be compulsory. A replacement has yet to be agreed making it is less likely that
there will be detailed information about speech, language and communication tomonitor
progress towards our 2020 goal.
Why? This will provide a fuller picture of how the situation is changing. We need to ensure
that children’s levels of communication and language are monitored so that those with
difficulties can be identified and supported as early as possible
Mary Hartshorne, Director of Outcomes and Information
I CAN, June 2016
13
Norbury, C., Gooch, D., Baird, G., Charman, T., Simonoff, E. and Pickles, A. (2015) Younger children’s
experience lower levels of language competence and academic progress in the first year of school: evidence
from a population study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcpp.12431/pdf