The number of children starting school in need of speech and language support has risen across Staffordshire, figures have revealed.
Data from the Department for Education analysed by the BBC Shared Data Unit showed that pupils needing communication help in Year 1 of schooling was up by more than a quarter on the previous year.
Staffordshire saw 438 school starters require speech and language support in the 21/22 school year, up from 341 the previous year.
The year-on-year increase of 28.45% is above the national average of 9.81%.
Kamini Gadhok, chief executive of the Royal College of Speech and Language, said the pandemic had been recognised as having an impact on the development of communication skills among youngsters.
“Our members have been telling us anecdotally that they’ve been seeing a huge increase in the number of children referred to them.
“We’ve been very aware, from the surveys we’ve done, that the pandemic has had an impact, not just because of services being closed or schools not being open, but also because children were not able to interact in a way that they used to.
“It’s really important to remember that we learn to communicate by socialising with other people. So for children and young people, it’s being able to socialise with other children, to be able to mix with family members, to be out and about in the community, or even simple things like being in the playground.
“All of those things were impacted during the pandemic.”
Kamini Gadhok, Royal College of Speech and Language
The Department for Education said up to £180million was being invested in the sector over the next three years to focus on children’s development in early years.
Kelly Tolhurst, Minister for schools and childhood, said:
“The early years of a child’s life are vital, not only in establishing important developmental skills, but also in building a lifelong love of learning that will help them succeed in adult life.
“I’m really proud of the quality and dedication of our early years workforce. This package of support is a huge investment in their skills and professional development, because raising the status of this important sector is key to its growth.”
Kelly Tolhurst, Minister for schools and childhood
