1.7 million young futures

1.7 million young futures

1.7 million children are struggling with talking and understanding words in the UK right now. Read our new report, 1.7 million young futures, for our findings and recommendations after surveying more than 1,000 families and teachers.

Most of us take being able to talk and understand words for granted. We don’t think about what our life would be like if we found this difficult. But 1.7 million children are living this reality.

Without help, they will find it harder to read, write and use numbers as well as learning other subjects. They’ll also face challenges making friends and staying in good mental health and in the longer-term in getting a job and staying out of trouble.

We can change this. We are calling on education leaders to take urgent action and:

• Wake up to the fact that we have inadequate support in place for children with speech and language challenges
• Fund preventative work to reduce the number of children with speech and language challenges
• Help teachers and nursery staff to spot children at risk of speech and language challenges by funding a new tracking tool
• Train teachers, childminders, and nursery workers in how to support children
• Give better guidance on what school-based support can help children

Read our new report, 1.7 million young futures, by clicking the link below.