John Leech says "Make Chatter Matter"

11.07.28am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 28th Mar 2007

Liberal democrat MP for Manchester Withington, John Leech, has recently added his name to a Commons motion which draws attention to the work of children's communication charity, I CAN, and their recent campaign highlighting the importance of children's communication skills.

The ongoing Make Chatter Matter campaign was launched in early October in conjunction with the release of I CAN's Cost to the Nation of Children's Poor Communication report. The report documents the accumulating evidence on poor basic communication skills in children arriving in today's reception classes. Without appropriate support more than 50% of five year olds risk academic failure and social exclusion, since they are arriving at school without the speech and language they need to learn and make friends. This figure rises to 80% in areas of high unemployment and poor housing. Overall, there is a potential cost to the nation of £4 billion per academic year.

Virginia Beardshaw, I CAN Chief Executive, said: "Communication is the modern life skill. We would like to thank John Leech for supporting I CAN's Make Chatter Matter campaign, and helping to draw attention to the increasing prevalence of impoverished language skills amongst children which can have such a detrimental effect on their life chances."

The motion encourages the Government to put children's communication at the heart of policy development, with a focus on the following aims:

-Informed parents - that all parents are fully informed on communication development

-Skilled staff - that the early years workforce will have the necessary skills to support typical communication development, to identify potential problems and to develop strategies to support children with difficulties

-Communication-friendly early years settings - that all early years settings provide language rich environments, support skill development and help early identification of difficulties

-Specialist provision - that resources will follow assessed need with a focus on ensuring those with severe and complex communication disability can easily access the help they and their families need

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

I CAN operates throughout the UK, and in England alone works with over 40 Local Education Authorities and Primary Care Trusts in a meaningful and beneficial partnership.

I CAN also trains more than 1,500 teachers, speech and language therapists and parents annually, and their information services are used by more than 60,000 children, young people, parents and professionals.

Early Day Motion attached below:

EDM 252

MAKE CHATTER MATTER CAMPAIGN 12.10.2006

That this House notes with concern that one in 10 children have a communication disability and that in addition as many as half of all children entering primary school have impoverished speech and language skills; congratulates I CAN, the charity that helps children communicate, on the launch of its Make Chatter Matter campaign with the support of BT; welcomes the campaign's focus on ensuring children's communication skills are at the core of children's policy development; notes the campaign's aims of informed parents, skilled staff, communication friendly early-years settings and specialist provision; and further urges the Government to put communication at the heart of the children's policy agenda, providing families and early years workers with the knowledge and skills to support all children.