PQE0177

Written evidence submitted by I CAN

Summary

I CAN is the leading organisation for children and young people’s communication. We develop and deliver programmes to support pupils’ language and communication aged 0-19. I CAN also runs two outstanding specialist schools for children with severe communication needs.

We welcome the opportunity to contribute to this inquiry on the purpose and quality of education. We feel strongly that the purpose of education is to prepare children and young people for life, learning and work. As the foundation life skill, language and communication skills are central to this.

In this consultation response we answer the three inquiry questions, and make the following key points:

• If children are to be prepared for the rapidly changing world they live in they need the opportunity to develop a set of skills and attributes as well as acquiring knowledge.

• At all ages, central to this is supporting pupils’ language and communication skills because they form the foundation upon which all other aspects of education are built.

• Currently the balance is too much on knowledge acquisition. This is resulting in children without the skills they need, and in employers without the skills they need in their recruits.

We recommend:

• Clarity around the role of language and communication in initiatives such as character education, with accompanying guidance about to support these skills in pupils

• Training for staff in schools so they have the expertise and confidence in developing pupils’  language and communication,  and in measuring progress in these areas

• An accountability framework  and school standards which expect, encourage and monitor schools to develop children and young people’s language and communication skills

• A range of tools to measure the skills which underpin high quality education, developed by employers and teachers working together. 

I CAN has a range of programmes, information, resources and expertise which can support these recommendations.  Case studies throughout this document illustrate these. As the leading charity supporting children and young people’s speech, language and communication we are well placed to do this.

What should the purpose of education for children of all ages in England be?

1. At I CAN, we feel that education should prepare children and young people for life, learning and work, to be active and successful members of society.

2. Having good language and communication skills is core to this.

3. In a recent radio opinion piece David Willets, former minister for universities and science, made the distinction between qualifications and education. Education is much more than acquiring knowledge and qualifications. (School of Thought, BBC R4, 28.12.15)

4. A report commissioned earlier this year, expanded on this theme:

‘The accumulation of knowledge cannot be the sole foundation of young people’s education, let alone their wider development. Their academic success, wellbeing and mental health depends not just on what they know, but on the development of their character, social intelligence, social and emotional skills, and a range of other non-academic traits and capabilities. These factors do define not just how they progress in school, but also how they interact with their families, their communities, and the wider world. In great schools and education systems, this has always been understood’.

(Reynolds and Birdwell, 2015 Mind over Matter, Demos)

5. We consider that the current debate focusing on the aim of education being either to teach skills or knowledge is overly simplistic and can be counterproductive. In practice, good schools will always do both and this is acknowledged recently by David Cameron’s recent speech:

“we know the importance not just of acquiring knowledge, but also developing character and resilience. There can be no let-up in our mission to create an education system that is genuinely fit for the 21st century”
                                  David Cameron (Life Chances speech, 11.01.16)

6. Young people at I CAN’s Dawn House school tell us they value social-skill building, having choice, experiencing independence, having appropriate support. They place high value on being supported to follow their aspirations.  Primary aged children at I CAN’s Meath school report that schools helps them, to do:

“good talking, good thinking, good sharing and being kind”

Education preparing children and young people

7. There is no shared understanding about the purpose of education between parents, teachers, students and government. We feel the current emphasis on raising academic standards, and comparing national and international academic test scores puts the aim of education firmly in economic terms. While these aspects are important to maintain economic prosperity, we feel strongly that this fails to address other vital aspects of young people’s potential.

8. Education should provide children with the opportunity to develop a range of skills and attributes as well as acquiring knowledge. In addition to academic success or achievement in a vocational area, a well prepared young person is emotionally robust, they feel good about themselves (Children’s Society 2015); they are a resilient, self-advocate – able to self-reflect, problem solve, to make independent decisions and give their opinion (DfE 2015, Reynolds and Birdwell 2015); they will have a set of ‘soft’ skills needed for work and life success (I CAN 2016).

9. Crucial to the role of education in preparing young people are two key dimensions:

• Preparing children to manage the world they live in. Young people must learn to navigate a world which is changing rapidly technologically, culturally and linguistically. They are confronted by issues of environmental degradation, terrorism, sexualisation and other complex concerns. Against this backdrop, youth unemployment, rates of youth suicide and mental health issues are increasingly causing alarm. For children themselves, major issues are the relationships they build, their self image and concerns about safety (Children’s Society 2015).

Being able to use their language skills to understand these issues and communicate effectively in this changing world is essential.

• Preparing them for what their future options and choices will be. With a changing economy, technological advances and diverse communication systems it is uncertain what world children will need to be prepared for. What is clear is that they will need to have a skill-set that will enable them to think creatively and to apply and link knowledge flexibly to make the most of any opportunities. (Mann and Huddleston (eds) 2015).

Effective speech, language and communication underpin this skill-set.

Language and communication as foundation skills

10. Across all of these aspects above, language and communication are central - at every age and stage. Almost everything a child does at school, in and out of the classroom, involves language:

• Speech, language and communication skills underpin literacy skills, and are also closely linked with good academic outcomes (summarised in Lee 2013). Language skills at 2 predict outcomes at the end of Key Stage 2, vocabulary at age 5 in correlated with outcomes into adulthood, children with good language skills in primary schools achieve well at secondary.

• As well as this, language is the vehicle for learning. Understanding what teachers say, team work, discussion, problem solving, thinking – the means by which we learn - are all dependent on good language skills (Mercer and Littleton 2007)

• Communication skills underpin other soft skills needed for the workplace such as team working, customer relations, negotiation skills, confidence, and skills for problem solving      (I CAN 2016)

• Emotional well-being is underpinned by language skills. Studies show that as children get older, those with better language skills have more positive self esteem, (Jerome et al 2001, Wadman et al 2007). They also have more and better quality friendships (Durkin and Conti-Ramsden 2007)

• Finally, in their own right, communication skills are essential life skills. Rated highly by employers as skills needed for the workplace, they are also frequently lacking in new recruits (CBI 2014, I CAN 2016). There is an increasing body of evidence linking good language skills to positive long-term outcomes.

11. Language continues to develop and to be important throughout pupils’ school experience, and into further and higher education.

12. Crucially, language and communication skills do not ‘just happen’. Like any skill they need to be practised and developed through modelling by adults, discussion and ongoing quality interactions throughout a pupil’s school experience. For many young people school plays a major part in developing these skills.

13. One of the central objectives of education, therefore, is supporting the development of children and young people’s language and communication skills because these can be regarded as the foundation upon which all other aspects of education are built.

14. This is particularly important for the 10% of children with identified, long-term speech, language and communication needs, but is crucial for all children.  Difficulties with communication development are surprising common, in some disadvantaged areas upwards of 50% of children start school with delayed language development (Locke, Ginsborg and Peers 2002, The Communication Trust 2011). Without support this can persist, through into secondary school (Spencer et al 2011).

What measures should be used to evaluate the quality of education against this purpose?

15. A range of measures capturing progress in a wider skill-set is needed to evaluate how well education prepares children and young people for life, learning and work.

16. To do this effectively, a range of skills need to be measured: creative thinking, problem solving, social and emotional skills and most crucially progress in spoken language. Currently, however, the quality of education is judged almost exclusively focusing on progress in academic subjects.

Measuring skills for learning

17. School accountability measures look at academic attainment or progress rather than the process of learning, despite a healthy culture in of ‘assessment for learning’ in schools. Staff in I CAN’s Meath school have developed a way of measuring progress in this important area:

At I CAN’s Meath School (a specialist schools for children with complex communication difficulties) staff recognise that education is about developing independent, creative thinking. It gives a learner the tools to explore and learn about the world and all that is therein. Central to this has been the identification of the prerequisites a learner needs to function within the learning community but also the transferable thinking skills required to live in an ever-changing society.

The school developed their own Learning Behaviours checklist, aware that learning behaviours underpin engagement and thence deeper learning. The checklist addresses skills in three areas: self-managers, team workers and creative and reflective thinkers.

Engagement in lessons is regularly monitored through documented observations within the class teams. The learner whose engagement is limited in any way can then be further supported or tasks further differentiated to maximise learning opportunities.

18. International data comparing UK education to other OECD countries also rely on measures of academic skills: literacy and numeracy. However, there is now a measure of problem solving (PISA indicators) as well as an indicator looking at the impact of skills on employment and earning. The OECD has also recognised the importance of collaborative problem solving and this will be assessed for the first time in the PISA 2015 tests via a test where children work collaboratively to solve problems with a computer agent. These are promising signs, and it is hoped that this widening of international measures will prompt a greater emphasis on these learning skills more locally.

Measuring skills for life

19. At a school level, the introduction of a judgement on personal development, behaviour and welfare which includes ‘a focus on pupils’ confidence and self assurance as learners, and their pride in achievement, the impact behaviour has on outcomes and the choices pupils make about their next stage’ (Ofsted 2015a) is welcomed. Likewise, the Ofsted evaluation framework does look at how well schools support children’s language and communication. However there is no guidance about how quality in these areas will be measured.

20. Frameworks such as the Communicating Supporting Classrooms tool (Dockrell et al 2012) and I CAN Talk Programmes (Early Talk, Primary Talk, Secondary Talk www.ican.org.uk) provide structures for accrediting good practice in supporting pupils’ language and communication. 

21. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, these requirements from Ofsted translate into measures of progress in these skills, but at primary or secondary school this is no longer the case, despite the fundamental role of speech, language and communication in learning. For example, from summer 2014 the speaking and listening component of GCSE English was removed from the grading so that students’ performances on this critical element of English do not count towards their final grade. Part of the reason for this change was that these skills are hard to assess in a way that is accepted as valid and reliable (Ofqual 2013). Giving staff the skills to do this makes it possible – as illustrated through I CAN’s programmes in the case studies on page 8.

22. The risk of measuring only what is easy to measure is that we end up defining quality in terms of what can be assessed rather than what is important (Ahmed 2015).

23. Increasingly, there are tools available for schools to measure pupils’ functional communication. For example The Communication Trust progression tools, and the Oracy Framework (Mercer et al 2015), developed by a team at Cambridge University and currently being validated through an EEF funded project across schools in London. 

24. What is crucial is that staff in schools have the expertise and confidence to use these frameworks and tools, and that the inspection framework encourages them to do so.

Measuring Skills for Work

25. Ways of measuring the soft skills and attitudes children need for the world of work are essential, but these tools are not always available (MacDonalds 2015).  In ‘A vision for assessment in 2025’, Bassett (2015) identified that employers, teachers and assessment experts working together to determine outcomes and standards should be a key feature, ensuring that it was of real world value. This would ensure that what matters to children in terms of preparing them for onward transitions, would be monitored. A work readiness tool, developed as part of I CAN’s Talk about Talk Secondary programme does just this. A recent I CAN survey of 40 employers identified specific communication skills that were valued – including being able to check when confused, and alter their style of talking. Over two thirds of employers surveyed reported not getting these skills in their recruits. The ‘work readiness’ tool measures the impact of a programme aiming to developing communication skills to support young people’s transition to the workplace (Talk about Talk Secondary, I CAN).

How well does the current education system performs against these measures

26. There are currently no systematic ways of measuring or reporting on the quality of education in relation to the soft skills and attitudes children need.  This section draws on evidence from a range of sources, including from our experience working in schools and settings across the country.

A focus on communication in our curriculum

27. In the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, communication and language is recognised as one of the three prime areas, underpinning other areas of learning. The curriculum also recognises the importance of developing resilient, capable children who are strong and becoming independent.

28. However, this is very different in the National Curriculum for schools. Despite a clear statement about how the curriculum ‘reflects the importance of spoken language in pupils’ development across the whole curriculum – cognitively, socially and linguistically’ (DfE 2013) language and communication have much reduced prominence since it was revised in 2013. There is limited detail in the programme of study about stages of development, and no guidance about how to support these crucial skills.

29. An education system with space and guidance to support children’s wider skill set would ensure the good start in the earliest years is maintained throughout primary and secondary school. We are keen to see changes that provide these opportunities, including recognition of the important role of language and communication.

30. The recent introduction of the Government’s character education programme provides an opportunity for schools to focus on attributes that underpin children and young people’s potential to become active members of their communities. However, the role of language and communication in the development of these character skills is not made explicit. For example, without effective language skills, children and young people will find it much harder to make informed decisions, learn from mistakes, problem-solve and think through alternatives. Language and communication skills give children and young people a tool with which to understand and comment on how others think and feel, the principles of developing the tolerance and respect we desire in 21st century Britain.

31. Personal, Social and Health Education (PHSE), a subject with the potential to support a wider skill-set in children is no longer mandatory and recent cross parliamentary committee calls have been made for its compulsory status to be reinstated. However, for the subject to deliver the impact its advocates consider it capable of, PHSE requires a curriculum that focuses on skills as well as content. For instance, knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases or the risks of legal highs is ineffective without teaching students the communication based assertiveness skills to challenge peer pressure and make the right choices.

Preparing young people for a changing world – outcomes for pupils

32. In 2012, OECD research found that England is one of the most unequal countries when it comes to children’s reading levels, second only to Romania in the European Union. In comparison, students performed slightly above average in the 2012 PISA tests of problem solving; an increasingly important skill for the 21st century.

33. For many children, school is not an enjoyable experience. Compared to other countries, children in England tend to not like going to school (Children’s society 2015), and this may be due to the options available to them. In a recent speech to the Centre Forum Think Tank (UK Gov 2016), Sir Michael Wilshaw, HMCI, made the point that for children not wanting to pursue an academic pathway education is ‘inadequate at best’. He makes the link between this as rising youth unemployment figures.

34. How well children do in developing the essential skills, knowledge and attributes they need depends on the focus placed on this in schools. The longitudinal EPPSE study found that ‘Where settings view educational and social development as complementary and equal in importance, children make better all round progress’ (Taggart, et al 2015).  A focus on language and communication skills can have a wider impact on progress in other areas, illustrated through I CAN’s A Chance to Talk Programme (ACTT), where schools took on a whole school approach to supporting speech, language and communication. The evaluation showed enhanced progress in reading at key stage 1. Children made, on average, 50% more progress than in previous years after ACTT had been implemented in schools, exceeding the progress expected nationally for their age group (I CAN 2013).

35. I CAN programmes in primary and secondary schools train and support staff to develop ways of working with pupils’ language and communication but also in developing effective ways of measuring progress. The following two case studies illustrate the impact of this:

As a result of I CAN Primary Talk training, Sherwood Primary School embarked on a whole school focus on developing communication skills to underpin learning and this has seen positive impacts across the school. The school now monitors the speaking and listening skills of pupils closely, assessing termly in line with other key subjects.

A focus on these skills has seen wide ranging impacts across the curriculum and on behaviour of pupils. Engagement with learning has improved, with less challenging behaviour observed. Learning walks have highlighted that children in all classes are on task and engaged in their learning. A targeted approach to developing emotional literacy has seen a positive impact on children’s confidence in and out of class and on behaviour, with pupils more able to express themselves.

Strategies for supporting communication skills have improved pupils’ independent learning and engagement. An approach of reducing adult language levels has allowed pupils to process language better, meaning their understanding improved and they required less support when working independently. A focus on talk has allowed children, particularly in Years 5 and 6 to lead their own paired and group talk with less adult intervention.

Pupils have commented that ‘I know how to do good listening because there are posters in my class to help me’.

At Claydon High School staff were very aware of the limitations that ‘poor language’ placed on students, recognising its centrality both as a barrier to learning and the wider enrichment work of the school. Leadership took clear, planned steps to address this in school development. In 2014, a whole school focus on vocabulary was instigated following engagement with I CAN Secondary Talk. The positive impact was widespread; improvements in independence and resilience, confidence and engagement were noted. 

An improved Ofsted judgement made specific mention of talk being even more highly valued as a tool for effective teaching and learning.

A focus on developing student leadership and enterprise skills in the school also recognises that language and communication skills are crucial to this and provides training and support accordingly. In 2015, the inaugural “Enterprise Challenge Cup Tournament” for Years 8-10 had students working in vertical groupings to develop the communication skills outside their immediate comfort zone.

Concluding comment

36. Through our work with schools, and in our own schools we have seen the impact of high quality education that focuses on developing children and young people’s speech, language and communication. It prepares them both for the world they live in, and for the world they will move on to.

37. We welcome the opportunity to submit evidence to this inquiry, and look forward to working with the committee to move these recommendations forward.

References

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CBI (2014) Education and Skills Survey CBI and Pearson

Conti-Ramsden G. and Durkin K (2008) Language and Independence in Adolescents with and without a history of specific language impairment (SLI). Journal of speech, language and hearing research

DfE (2013) The National Curriculum in England: framework document

Dockrell et al (2012) Communication Supporting Classrooms Observation Tool Better Communication Research Programme https://www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk/media/93866/tct_bcrp_csc_final.pdf

Durkin K. and Conti-Ramsden G (2007) Language, social behaviour and the quality of friendships in adolescents with and without a history of specific language impairment. Child Development Vol 78

I CAN Dawn House School http://www.dawnhouseschool.org.uk/

I CAN Meath School http://www.meathschool.org.uk/

I CAN (2016) Skills for life: Skills for Work I CAN Talk series number 8 (second edition)

I CAN Talk about Talk Secondary http://www.ican.org.uk/ICAN-Training/Secondary/Talk%20About%20Talk%20Secondary.aspx

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February 2016