- Final report - key findings from the final report published March 2006
- Interim Report
- Extracts from The Independent Review of the Teaching
of Early Reading, Interim Report, by Jim Rose, December
2005
- Response - TTYB joins
other organisations concerned with early language
and literacy to respond to Interim Report (January
2006)
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The development of speaking and listening skills requires
fuller and more intensive attention to make sure that children
acquire a good stock of words, learn to listen attentively,
and speak clearly and confidently. These skills are the
foundations of phonic work, for example, in building phonemic
awareness. Moreover, they are prime communication skills,
hugely important in their own right and central to children's
intellectual, social and emotional development.
An important, albeit obvious, early marker needs to be entered
here that listening and speaking are the roots of reading
and writing. From a wide range of contributors, as well
as from inspection evidence, the indications are that settings
and schools need to do more to boost listening and speaking
skills across the curriculum. For instance, Ofsted noted
recently in an overview report on English that:
Too little attention has been given
to teaching the full National Curriculum programme of study
for speaking and listening and the range of contexts provided
for speaking and listening remains too limited.
Obviously, attention to speaking and listening at the earliest
stages is especially important for children who enter settings
and schools with limited language skills.
Learning is very much a social and a socialising activity
for young children. Settings and schools provide massive
opportunities and unique advantages for developing their
speaking and listening skills. Such development depends
upon creating conditions for children to interact with others:
to engage frequently in worthwhile talk and attentive listening,
build a good stock of words, explore how language works,
understand what is said to them and respond appropriately
- well before reading begins. The best work with young children
also draws frequently on the power of story, drama and music
to fire their imagination and enrich their language. The
importance for young children of learning co-operatively
in language-rich contexts cannot be over-stated.
Settings and schools should therefore give a high priority
to the development of children's speaking and listening
skills, both because they are intrinsically valuable and
because they provide the foundations for the systematic
teaching and learning of phonics, and higher order reading
and writing skills.
Best practice
Greater attention should be given to the development of children's speaking and listening skills because they are intrinsically valuable and because they provide the foundations for high quality phonic work.
The Early Years Foundation Stage
Work throughout the Foundation Stage should provide a rich,
language environment that develops children's speaking and
listening skills, helps them to understand what is said
to them, and builds their confidence in speaking to others.
This response comes from a number of organisations concerned
with early language and literacy. Collectively we welcome
and endorse the emphasis on speaking and listening skills
outlined in the report. In particular, we are pleased to
note the recognition of the importance of speaking and listening
skills not only as the foundation for literacy learning
but also for intellectual, social and emotional development.
Although not mentioned in the report, we also note and
welcome the recent launch of the substantial Communicating
Matters training material, produced by the DfES, Sure Start
and the Primary National Strategy. If this training (or
similar) was to be implemented through all Local Authorities
it would ensure that everyone working with children in the
early years would have a sound understanding of children's
communication and language development, and it would deepen
their understanding of how their own communicative behaviour
impacts on children. Similarly, this topic should be included
in all forms of pre-service training. As the materials note,
all early years practitioners are teachers of communication
and language.
The Interim Report also highlights that communication and
language are best learned in a rich communicative environment.
Empowering parents to provide this kind of support in the
home is a significant part of the work that we all do, as
we believe that parents are their child's first and most
enduring teachers and need the confidence and knowledge
to play their part. There are some excellent programmes
in place in the community, informing and supporting parents
as they learn to read, sing and communicate fully with their
young children.
We hope that the Final Report will urge compulsion to train
children's service staff so that they are fully equipped
to support children and parents in the vital matter of early
language and communication skills.
Liz Attenborough,
Talk To Your Baby
Rosemary Clarke,
Bookstart
Jenny Cobley,
Basic Skills Agency
Kamini Gadhok,
Royal College of Speech
and Language Therapists
Clare Geldard,
I CAN
Linda Lascelles,
Afasic
Neil McClelland,
National Literacy
Trust
Peter Silva,
Peers Early Education
Partnership
Nicole Walker,
Early Years Library
Network
January 2006
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