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Following consultation during 2001 and 2002, the National Literacy Trust
has concluded that a ten-year, generative national campaign to promote the
importance of early language - from birth to three - is one of the most
significant contributions we can make to sustained long-term improvements
in literacy competence and enhanced life chances.
The purpose of the early language campaign will be to ensure that by the
end of this period:
- all children will be receiving a stimulating language-rich start
to their lives
- the necessary foundations will have been established to ensure a
self-sustaining transformation of our national culture.
During this development year, the National Literacy Trust will research
and consult on the best methods for delivering such a national campaign.
We shall also communicate to parents, and those who can positively influence
parental beliefs and behaviours, the importance of effective home practices
and the need for such a concerted national campaign.
There is a growing body of evidence linking the development of early language
and the subsequent successful acquisition of reading and writing skills.
We need to motivate and support parents to provide the good home practices
that will give their children stimulating language environments. In order
to do this, our society requires a systematic, orchestrated enabling of
a wide range of contributors.
Perhaps the most significant recent confirmations that early spoken language
is the foundation for later reading and writing skills have come from the
Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) research. This has highlighted
the importance, by the age of three, of the home learning environment, and
that children significantly benefit from very simple home practices, regardless
of the educational background of their parents and the level of home income.
"Ours is the first study in Britain to show that more important than
the mother's educational qualifications is what the mother does with the
child. Education matters. but if the mother reads to the child, plays
rhyming games, sings songs, talks about letters and sounds, and takes
the child to the library, these behaviours at home are more important."
Professor Kathy Sylva, evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee
on Education and Employment, First Report, 2000.
The work of Professor Catherine Snow at Harvard also suggests a link between
the home language experiences of low socio-economic children and their subsequent
literacy skills development.
"If reading success is so dependent on oral language skills, should
we not be placing more emphasis on vocabulary and rich language environments
in the home, pre-school and the primary grades, rather than assuming that
word reading skills alone will suffice?"
Catherine Snow, The Centrality of Language: a longitudinal study of language
and literacy development in low-income children, Institute of Education,
University of London, 2001.
However, there is unfortunately much anecdotal evidence to suggest that
children are now less well supported than we would wish. A recent survey
by the National Literacy Trust, in collaboration with the National Association
of Head Teachers, suggested that heads of nurseries and schools admitting
three-year-olds are concerned about a significant decline, in the last five
years, in children's language competence at entry.
The reasons for this apparent decline are complex and should not be attributed
to uncaring parents. However, lack of early language stimulation can lead
to language delay, and sometimes literacy and learning difficulties that
then extend well beyond early literacy development and can be extremely
costly or difficult to remedy.
Bruner, J. S. (1983) Child's Talk: Learning to Use Language, Oxford:
OUP.
Locke, A., Ginsborg, J. et al. (2002) Development and Disadvantage: implications
for the early years and beyond. International Journal of Language and
Communication Disorders.
Snow, C.E. (2001) The Centrality of Language: a longitudinal study of
language and literacy development in low-income children, Institute
of Education, University of London.
Sticht, T. G. and James, J. H. (1984) Listening and Reading. Handbook
of Reading Research. P. D. Pearson. New York and London: Longman.
Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P. and Siraj- Blatchford, I. (2000)
The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) Project. Briefing
prepared for The House of Commons Education Committee Enquiry into Early
Years Education.
Wells, G and Robinson, W. (1982) The role of adult speech in language development,
in C. Fraser and K. Scherer, eds., The Social Psychology of Language,
Cambridge: CUP.
Ward, S. (2000) Baby Talk, Century.
We have concluded that it is necessary to initiate a campaign to build a
more supportive national culture which will work to strengthen parenting
practices. Institutional early years initiatives, although necessary, are
by themselves insufficient for dealing with the issues described above.
The basis of the campaign is the need to strengthen home rather than institutional
practices. After all, nearly four-fifths of children up to their third birthday
are not connected with any sort of service delivery in the mainstream.
"Sure Start is terrific but it only helps a small percentage of children
in the UK. If parents could have the appropriate level of support - no
matter what their background was, their economic status or where they
lived - it would change the landscape of education."
Rosie Roberts OBE, former National Director, Peers Early Education Partnership
We intend to establish a radically new approach to this issue through a
sustained programme of activity that harnesses the skills, energy and commitment
of virtually all sectors of society and which, in particular, recognises
the power of persistent and persuasive communications campaigns via the
media and in a wide range of community settings.
The National Literacy Trust is well positioned to lead such a project. We
are experienced at developing cross-sectoral policies and in campaigning
(National Year of Reading/National Reading Campaign) and have developed
an understanding of cross-community partnerships - developing systemic approaches
to deep-seated educational issues. We believe this unique combination of
perspective and experience enables us to lead an important initiative that
could transform the life chances of thousands of our most disadvantaged
children and their parents. A successful campaign could make a huge impact
on thousands of children's lives and save society millions of pounds spent
on language support, educational remediation, and other symptomatic responses.
If, over the ten-year period of the campaign, we prevented 50,000 children
from needing additional language support or literacy prevention, at a cost
on average of £750 per child, we would save society over £37
million. We estimate that the cost of the ten-year campaign will be £2
million - a "national saving" of over £35 million.
The work of the Trust will be to unlock and then integrate involvements
from early years professionals, parenting organisations and many other community
and education sectors, which will be linked to the expertise of leading
professional communicators. In this way we aim to influence, systematically,
those home/parenting cultures that lack confidence or awareness of linguistic
development practices. It will be a mix of systemic planning for social
change, integrated with the harnessing of planned communications.
Central to the campaign's approach will be the involvement and support
of a very wide range of highly
committed partners.
In the development year, we shall:
- extend the work of the national pilot group
- secure the commitment to the campaign of key agencies and individuals,
including the engagement on a pro-bono basis of leading marketing and
PR expertise
- promote the importance of empowered parents via speaking commitments
and national and regional media articles and broadcasts
- audit and map existing good practices
- establish a promotional and networking website
- hold ten regional consultative and networking meetings
- establish a group of active campaign champions across the key sectors
- establish the "brand image" for the campaign
- establish the national advisory group
- prepare the campaign's business plan
- secure funding for the first three years of the campaign
- establish the base-line for evaluating the success of the campaign
- create, via the above, the reinforcing momentum for the campaign.
Click here for information on what the proposed
campaign will entail.
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