Autumn Budget: Ensuring the 1.9 million children struggling to talk and understand words are not forgotten
The Chancellor’s investment in the futures of more than a million children with special educational needs is essential. We hope this extra £1bn will be spent wisely, recognising that children with speech and language challenges form the largest group of children with SEND in primary schools. Wise spending should include training teachers and early years staff better, including extending the Early Years Professional Development Programme, so that they can intervene early and prevent the spiralling speech and language challenges in the most deprived areas of the country.
1 in 5 children need the government to guarantee the continuation of the Early Years Professional Development Programme (EYPDP). This programme, set to end in March 2025, has trained thousands of practitioners over six years, giving them skills to change the futures of this huge group of children. Practitioners who have completed the course have also felt renewed passion for working in the early years, where there are huge problems with retention. Given the Government’s emphasis on early years education, it is perplexing that there is uncertainty surrounding the continuation of this effective programme. Discontinuing the EYPDP would be counterproductive given the Government’s plans to expand nursery places and the need to keep staff in the sector to deliver this.
We were also hoping the new government would take this opportunity to fund the development of an information campaign for parents about the importance of early language development. Initiatives like the BBC’s Tiny Happy People have shown the positive impact such campaigns can have. By investing in a comprehensive campaign, the Government can ensure that all parents know how to support their children’s language development from birth.
Moreover, we urge the Government to consider the implementation of a tracking tool for language development, similar to existing tools for literacy and numeracy. Such a tool would enable teachers to measure and track children’s talking and understanding of words at the start of Key Stages 1 and 2, allowing for early identification and intervention for those struggling. Currently, schools must pay commercial rates for these assessments, leading many to forego them altogether. A government-funded tracking tool would ensure that all children receive the support they need to develop essential communication skills.
The increase to government spending on the SEND system is a promising start – we now need to see this investment mirrored in Government policy on teacher training. behaviour and attendance policies and staffing ratios in early years settings. They need to honour the Labour Party’s manifesto promise to prioritise children and young people’s spoken language and communication. We look forward to working with this Government to make sure that this £1bn real-terms increase really leads to a strong and solid foundation for 1.9 million children across the country.
