Decline in child speech and language skills blamed on lockdown

Children are increasingly struggling to express themselves because their speech and language has been delayed by lockdown, figures have shown.

The number of Year 1 pupils – aged five and six – in need of speech and language support in English schools rose 10 per cent in the past year, according to Department for Education (DFE) data.

Pupils came across as withdrawn as they struggled to express themselves and have full conversations, which affected their ability to make friends.

Children with delayed speech may be unable to identify everyday objects such as cups, instead pointing to them for fear adults would not understand them, according to the BBC.

The children who finished Year 1 this summer were the first to start reception after the first lockdown and suffered considerable disruption to learning. A total of 42,341 pupils in this year group required support, which is 9.8 per cent more than the 38,560 Year 1 pupils who needed help in the previous school year.

The figures, obtained by the BBC, suggest the number of children who needed speech support rose more than most other special educational needs.

Kamini Gadhok, chief executive of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, said the latest rise was “shocking”. She added: “I don’t think anyone would have expected it to be as significant.

“The impact will be because services were closed during the pandemic ... and children were not able to access learning opportunities for things we take for granted – I think we take for granted how we learn to speak.”

Ms Gadhok said pre-school children had missed out on learning how to “be with other children, turn-taking, asking questions – how we use our communication, not just educational needs. All those early language skills were not open to children because of lockdown and very restricted socialisation has really impacted on many children.”

Jane Harris, chief executive of Speech and Language UK, a children’s communication charity, added: “This research is a wake-up call. For too long, our education system has failed to recognise that some children struggle to learn to talk and understand words, just as some struggle with reading, writing and maths.”

Data published earlier this year showed that toddlers’ speech and motor skills dropped sharply in the wake of the pandemic after children were denied the chance to play with each other and learn during lockdowns.

Assessments showed that one in five children were not meeting expected development standards by the age of two and a half, leaving thousands likely to need help, such as speech and language therapy.

A DFE spokesman said: “We are investing nearly £5billion to help children and young people recover from the impact of the pandemic, which includes targeted support for the pupils who need it most through our flagship national tutoring programme.

“We are also investing £24million in building literacy skills as part of our ambition for 90 per cent of children to leave primary school reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths by 2030.”

42,341 The number of five-to-six year-olds who needed help in the classroom with speech and language in the previous school year