Comments:
It’s concerning to see school
leaders report that so many
children are starting primary school
without the skills they need. Parents
play a crucial role in supporting
their child’s early language and
communication development, but
many lack confidence in how to
support their child’s early learning.
20
Early years practitioners can
provide valuable guidance to
parents and help families to build
rich home-learning environments.
The National Literacy Trust’s Early
Words Together programme brings
together practitioners and volunteers
to engage and empower parents
with ideas, tools and confidence to
support their children’s development,
which has a positive impact on their
school readiness."
Clare McGread, Head of Communities and Early Years,
National Literacy Trust
State of Education Survey 2016 | www.thekeysupport.com
It is deeply worrying that this survey
highlights the extent to which
children are arriving at school without the
expected level of speech, language and
communication skills. The findings show the
fundamental impact that these skills have
on school-readiness and ultimately, pupils’
life chances. School leaders have identified
delayed speech specifically as a barrier
to school-readiness, but also highlight a
range of other issues which depend heavily
on a foundation of strong communication
skills: resilience, social skills, literacy and
numeracy.
Policy and practice which recognise and
support the development of communication
skills from the very earliest years, are vital
to ensuring all children can achieve their
full potential at school and beyond. The
Communication Trust is committed to
working with partners like The Key to make
this a reality."
Octavia Holland,
Director, The Communication Trust
Find further comment at www.thekeysupport.com/blog