What do the amendments say?

Lord Watson’s two probing amendments are designed to test the Government’s thinking on:

• the overall level of pupils’ spoken language and communication;
• the provision available to develop pupils’ spoken language and communication; and 
• the support available to support pupils who have speech, language and communication needs.

Report on spoken language and communication

The first amendment would place a duty on the Secretary of State for Education to report on spoken language and communication. 

Specifically, it states:

The Secretary of State must lay a report before Parliament each year during the period of five years beginning with the day on which the Act is passed, setting out: 

1. the overall level of school pupils’ spoken language and communication ability in academies, independent educational institutions and maintained schools; 
2. the provision available to develop pupils’ spoken language and communication skills in academies, independent educational institutions and maintained schools; 
3. the provision available to support pupils with speech, language and communication needs in academies, independent educational institutions and maintained schools.

Ofsted inspections 

The second amendment relates to Ofsted inspections and provision relating to spoken language and communication skills. 

Specifically, it states that:

1. When inspecting schools, the Chief Inspector must assess the provision available to develop pupils’ spoken language and communication skills. 
2. Schools rated as “inadequate” in terms of such provision cannot be rated “good” or “outstanding” overall.

What are the amendments designed to achieve?

We hope the amendments will provide the Government with the opportunity to clarify how they will ensure children are adequately supported in schools to develop proficiency in spoken language. 

In the context of the Bill, by spoken language we mean:

• supporting all children to develop their speaking skills and learn effectively using classroom talk; and
• supporting children and young people with speech, language and communication needs – this includes those who speak using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and sign languages, such as British Sign Language.

We hope, therefore, that the Government’s response to the amendments will set out:

• How the Government will support schools to address the ongoing impact of school closures on children’s spoken language across all ages (1.5 million children and young people are at risk of being left behind with their speaking and understanding language because of the pandemic).
• How the Government will raise the status of spoken language in the education system in order to reflect its importance to children and young people’s outcomes in education, as per the evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation.
• How the Government will ensure that every teacher is equipped to understand how to develop children’s spoken language skills and ability, and can identify those who struggle with their speech, language and communication, and are in need of further support.

Who is supporting the amendments?

The importance of ensuring that pupils’ spoken language and communication skills are developed, and that those children and young people with speech, language and communication needs are supported to speak and communicate in a way that suits them best, is demonstrated by the broad range of organisations supporting Lord Watson’s amendments. They include professional associations, membership organisations, coalitions and charities in a number of fields where oracy and speech, language and communication matter.

The RCSLT, Voice 21 and I CAN are very grateful to our partner organisations and colleagues for joining with us in support of these amendments. The supporting organisations include:

ACE Centre

Action Cerebral Palsy

Action for Stammering Children

ADHD Foundation

Afasic

ASLTIP – Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice

Big Change

ChatterPack

CICS Group – Cochlear Implanted Children’s Support Group

Communication Matters

Council for Disabled Children

Dyspraxia Foundation

Elklan

English Speaking Board

English-Speaking Union

I CAN

Makaton

NAPLIC 

National Literacy Trust

NCFE

NDNA – National Day Nurseries Association

Oracy Cambridge

Pace

Signalong

SMIRA

Speaking Citizens

Special Education Consortium

Speech Bubbles

Stamma

Symbol

The Children’s Trust

The National Organisation for FASD

The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists

Voice 21