What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact of lost school days to children’s speech development?
Throughout the pandemic the Welsh Government has been guided by education specialists and the relevant evidence as it has become available. This includes Estyn’s reports on their school engagement visits.
The Welsh Government has provided additional support to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic and potential delays in children’s speech, language and communication (SLC) development.
The Welsh Government’s Recruit, Recover and Raise Standards (RRRS) Programme is a key Programme for Government commitment. We have allocated £165.5m since 2020 to support this programme. Early education funding through RRRS and additional funding of £13m through the Education Improvement Grant in 2021-22 as part of Renew and Reform, specifically aimed at those receiving early education, 3 to 7 year olds, focused on supporting children’s emotional, learning and developmental needs, language development being a critical element of this.
More broadly, RRRS funds up to 1,800 full-time equivalent staff and continues to build capacity and capability to support learners. Funding is distributed to schools to enable them to use the funding flexibly in tailored approaches to support the learners’ particular need. The funding has enabled schools to identify the learners in greatest need and develop support for them. The funding formula for the RRRS programme has been driven by a focus on the most vulnerable learners. An independent evaluation of this funding is due to be published in the new year.
Last November, I announced a series of actions that put a focus on reading, speaking, listening and communication skills, in addition to the support we provide for numerous literacy programmes through our partners. This included a £5 million investment to ensure every learner in Wales is gifted a book of their own to keep, alongside more targeted support for early years and disadvantaged learners. These schemes are supporting schools, parents and carers to have fun sharing stories.
I have also agreed funding to support the GWE regional consortia, in partnership with Bangor University, to undertake further work to enhance the Remote Instruction of Language programme (RILL). It is developing and testing a tech-based Welsh language and literacy programme, that can be delivered in the classroom or at home.
We all have a crucial role to play in developing our children’s speech, language, communication and reading skills. This is particularly critical for our youngest children where the building blocks for early language development begins with developing their attention, listening and understanding skills. We can do this by promoting the importance of talking with young children providing them with regular opportunities to engage with rich reading materials and participate in stories, songs and rhymes. Through shared reading experiences we can encourage a love of books and stories from an early age.
Further support includes the ‘Talk with Me’ SLC delivery plan which focuses on strengthening universal, population and targeted SLC support for children in Wales. The Welsh Government recently announced a £1.5m investment in an SLC package for Wales which will incorporate bilingual evidence-based surveillance and intervention for SLC in children under 5. This will mean early SLC support is provided at the right time, in the right place, and by the right person. This investment in early identification and support sits alongside a campaign raising awareness of the importance of supporting early SLC, and investment in workforce development, with a suite of resources and training in early SLC available to practitioners across Wales.