NLT policy

The Bercow Review

1 Jul 2008

Following a 10-month review, The Bercow Report: A review of services for children and young people (0-19) with speech, language and communication needs was released in July 2008. The report has been unanimously welcomed in Westminster, by third sector organisations, as well as by parents and practitioners. The original remit handed out to Conservative MP John Bercow was to review the provision of services for those young children who suffer from speech, language and communication difficulties. However, the final report goes beyond this, suggesting better understanding of normal speech and language development is needed, and making recommendations for universal provision, particularly in the early years. The National Literacy Trust (NLT) welcomes this wider focus and is equally pleased to see the Government has agreed on the need for action on all areas covered in the report.

The final report contains 40 recommendations that are divided along five key themes:

• communication is crucial
• early identification and intervention are essential
• a continuum of services designed around the family is needed
• joint working is critical
• the current system is characterised by high variability and a lack of equity

These themes and the recommendations they contain are designed to improve the understanding and delivery of services, while highlighting that high level speech, language and communication services are in the nation’s self interest.

In interviews to support the release of the report John Bercow MP said “speech and listening have been elbowed out of schools for literacy and numeracy for too long.”² The inference from this quote is that the literacy hour, which focuses on reading, and the emphasis placed on reading and writing through the testing regime has distorted the learning landscape to the detriment of other skills. While understanding the sentiment of the statement, the NLT firmly believes that literacy is composed of speaking, listening, reading and writing, with speaking and listening skills fundamental to any success in reading and writing. Therefore, the NLT supports the call for greater uptake of speech and language provision, as well as an understanding that these skills are part of an individual’s literacy and should form part of the literacy curriculum rather than competing for teaching time.

To ensure that communication is considered crucial the report recommends that the Government creates a Communication Council to oversee the implementation of the report, as well as a Communication Champion to sit on the Council with ministers from both the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Department of Health (DH). The Communication Champion would be charged with promoting change and improvement, and would play a key role in establishing another recommendation of the report, a national year of speech, language and communication. As a key consortium member of the 2008 National Year of Reading (NYR), the NLT is particularly encouraged to see that one of the highlighted aims for the proposed year is ‘meaningful long term benefits’ as part of a legacy. It is very difficult to establish fundamental shifts in attitudes within a year, especially in an area that is currently under recognised. Therefore, ensuring that activities are focused on longevity and sustainability is essential.

The review also found a significant lack of knowledge about children and young people’s communication development. This manifests itself in a lack of awareness among parents that there may be a problem, as well as worrying reports of professionals not taking parents’ concerns seriously. Consequently, the report recommends that parents receive appropriate information at different stages in a child’s life, which emphasises the importance of speech, language and communication to all children and young people. This is supported by a recommendation that the new teaching qualification should involve a speech, language and communication element, as well as moves to improve knowledge among other professionals.

This knowledge is particularly pertinent for professionals in the early years sector and parents with young children. The first four years of life are recognised as the most important developmental stage, meaning that the quality of care young children receive at this age is vital to their future success. The NLT’s early years campaign, Talk To Your Baby (TTYB), has campaigned for increased awareness of the issues surrounding early communication and when welcoming the report Liz Attenborough manager of TTYB added: ‘In particular we support the call for universal services to support the development of these early communications skills in all children. As the Review states, it is important that the entire children’s workforce has a clear understanding of the issue, alongside the specialist practitioners.’

In a parliamentary debate on the subject, Kevin Brennan MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for State at the DCSF, highlighted both the importance of the review and the close links between the review and recent policy developments.³ He specifically highlighted the emphasis on early intervention and joined-up working as being in line with the principles set down in Every Child Matters and continued in the Children’s Plan. Promising evidence for joined up working is seen in the collaboration between the DCSF and the DH. The two departments jointly commissioned the report and have also shown signs that they will take joint responsibility for the implementation.

The NLT believes that the success of the Bercow Review is based on government fully implementing all recommendations in these two key areas. It was encouraging to see that Ed Balls MP Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Family, Alan Johnson MP Secretary of State for Health and key members from the opposition benches all attended the parliamentary debate. Cross party top level support will also be essential to the review’s success.

It is vital that the warm and generous support given by all parties to the review results in action. Increasing knowledge among parents and the children’s workforce of speech and language issues, and creating the structures for early intervention to take place, must be supported in the long term. The government has already announced a £52 million package which includes Every Child A Talker an awareness and enabling initiative designed to build the capacity of early years settings to promote language development in early childhood.4 This is a promising announcement which, if combined properly with the implementation of the 40 Bercow recommendations could result in a fundamental improvement in the chances of all children and young people, especially those with speech, language and communication difficulties.

The NLT welcomes the Bercow Report and supports the emphasis on the universal development of speech, language and communication services. That the government commissioned a report by a Conservative MP, which is also supported by the Liberal Democrats,5 providing comprehensive cross party support is also a cause for optimism. Yet, given the large gaps in knowledge and provision of services that are highlighted in the report, long term financial and structural support from parliament must be coupled with improved third sector involvement before significant advances are made. The report is an important first step. However, it will not be possible to evaluate if it has been successful for a number of years.

George Dugdale, Policy Adviser

[July 2008]

Downloadable version of this response: The Bercow Review [pdf].

References

1 John Bercow (2008). The Bercow Report: A review of services for children and young people (0-19) with speech, language and communication needs.

2 http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/jul/08/schools.uk7

3 http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080721/debtext/80721-0006.htm#0807214000011

4 Every Child A Talker (DCSF, 2008)

5 Annette Brooks MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Children, Young People and Families, spoke at the parliamentary debate on 21/7/08.

Tags: Early Years, Early years sector, Families, Health, Social inclusion, Talk To Your Baby

Return to nlt policy