Information for Inspectors

Information about the scale of the issue and best practice for supporting children and young people struggling with talking and understanding words in school.

1.9 million children are currently struggling with talking and understanding words in the UK.

Approximately 7.6% of all children in primary school (two children in every average class of 30 in the UK) have Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) – this is a life long condition.

Your guide to the scale of the issue and best practice for supporting children and young people struggling with talking and understanding words.

Listening to Unheard Children

Read our report 'Listening to Unheard Children' for the latest facts and figures. For children who struggle to talk and understand words, their whole lives are affected.
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The issue

Learn more about the scale of the issue and how we are helping to support children facing challenges with talking and understanding words.
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What do speech, language and communication needs look like?

Discover more about the signs and symptoms, as well as the challenges that children and young people may face when they struggle with talking and understanding words.
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Supporting children and young people struggling with talking and understanding words

Explore our free resources for educators and professionals. The guidance is to help you provide support for the 1.9 million children who are facing challenges with speech, language and communication.
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Programmes for nurseries and schools

Take a look at our tools and training available for tracking progress in speech, language, and communication development.
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