Prevention is better than cure -
Why a focus on oral language is essential
Emeritus professor Charles Hulme from the University of Oxford, founder of OxEd & Assessment, examines the importance of oral language in literacy and learning.
Oral language is the heart of literacy and learning. It’s fundamental to a child's educational journey, serving as the foundation for reading, comprehension, communication and social interaction. Language delays are common, yet the importance of oral language is often overlooked.
According to DfE data, 1.6 million pupils in the UK have a special educational need, with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) being most common, affecting one in four pupils. This makes understanding and promoting oral language development crucial for schools. Improving oral language skills in nursery and reception can significantly reduce SEND referrals, alleviate workloads and enhance overall pupil wellbeing as well as educational outcomes.
The critical role of oral language in early development
Between the ages of three and six, children experience rapid language development, making this period vital for identifying and addressing any oral language delays. Research shows that while language abilities generally increase as children get older, long tails of language delay can persist over time. More simply, as children get older, there is a widening gap between those children with the weakest oral language skills and their peers.
Early language skills, before a child has even started to learn to read, are strongly related to how well they will learn to read words once they enter school.
Language skills at 3.5 years strongly predict children’s pre-reading skills (letter knowledge, phoneme awareness and rapid naming skills) at school entry, which in turn predict how well they can read words at the end of their first year in school. In other words, early language skills, before a child has even started to learn to read, are strongly related to how well they will learn to read words once they enter school. Furthermore, these early language skills, are also strongly related to children’s understanding of what they read at age eight. Early intervention to promote language development also fosters social and emotional development. If language delays are not addressed, they can lead to later socio-emotional and behavioural difficulties as well as mental health problems, so schools should begin developing children’s language skills as early as nursery or reception. This will lead to both short-term improvements and longer-term effects, as children with better language skills show improved literacy, better learning and improved
and Assessment Ltd (OxEd) is a University of Oxford spin-out company launched to take research through to practical application in schools.
Strategies for promoting oral language development
Universal oral language screening: Assessing all children in nursery and reception with an objective and standardised oral language assessment will provide a baseline to measure language development. More importantly, this helps ensure children with language delays are not being overlooked, enabling schools to intervene before language challenges evolve into more complex educational challenges. Implementing oral language interventions: Evidence-based interventions that focus on enhancing vocabulary, narrative skills and active listening have proven both effective at closing the language gap and to have lasting effects. Evidence-based oral language interventions provide schools with very high impact for very low cost (based on evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation), and also demonstrates effective use of Pupil Premium funding. Professional development for educators: Training educators to recognise early signs of language difficulties and equipping them with strategies to support oral language development is essential. Educators skilled in fostering language-rich environments can make a substantial difference to pupil outcomes.
Parental engagement: Encouraging parents/carers to engage in language-building activities at home reinforces the skills taught in school. Workshops and resources can guide parents in effective practices, creating a cohesive support system for the child.
behaviour and socio-emotional wellbeing. By focusing on early intervention, schools can reduce the number of children needing SEND support and lighten the administrative and managerial burden. This allows them to allocate resources more effectively and provide scarce specialist resource to pupils with the most complex needs.
Benefits beyond SEND reduction
Prioritising oral language development extends beyond reducing SEND workloads in schools. Without language, education falters from the start, but just as important, pupils with strong language skills have better social interactions and enhanced self-esteem. There is also a correlation between those with persistent school absence and a history of exclusion and speech language communication needs, reiterating the urgency for early language assessment and intervention.
When children are better able to express themselves, understand their emotions and navigate their surroundings, their overall socio-emotional wellbeing improves. This leads to fewer behaviour issues and miscommunications that disrupt classrooms, ultimately fostering a positive, inclusive learning environment. Given the unprecedented number of children requiring SEND support and the complexity of needs being managed in schools, finding time for new interventions can be challenging. However, investing in oral language development is a strategic approach that yields multifaceted benefits including fewer children requiring SEND support, less pressure on scarce specialist resource and improved literacy, social-emotional development and overall wellbeing for children throughout the whole school. Investing in early language intervention leads to better long-term outcomes, helping children reach their full potential.
