Jane Harris: Reaching more of the 1.7m children who have challenges talking and understanding words'

After nearly 135 years, we decided to change our name, vision and mission as part of a wider ambition to reach more of the 1.7 million children who have challenges with talking and understanding words.

Last year we supported over 65,000 children, but we know that there are many more children and families who need support.

Without the right support, these children will struggle to learn to read, write and do maths, as well as being at higher risk of mental health problems and unemployment. We needed a new name and brand to allow families, young people and educational professionals to find us.  

Families and educational professionals have told us they value the tools and training we provide to schools and nurseries, as well as the advice and guidance we give directly to families. They also want us to put more pressure on politicians to fix a broken system for children with speech and language challenges. 

In terms of strategy, we have been looking at what more we can do based on the feedback we have had. The early years are the critical time to give children the best start in talking and understanding words and we have identified some key areas we need to capitalise on, such as digitising more of our advice so parents feel confident to encourage their children’s chatting. We’re also planning ways to diversify our income and increase the visibility of speech and language challenges.

We want every child with challenges talking and understanding words to look to the future with confidence. We will continue to design effective tools and training for nursery staff and schools, as well as giving families the confidence and skills to help their child. But all our nurseries and schools, local authorities, NHS and our Government also need to play their part to make sure that the education system is set up to spot and support those children who are struggling. This is even more urgent in the aftermath of repeated lockdowns and school closures.

On becoming Prime Minister, Liz Truss said her vision was of Britain as an ‘aspiration nation … where everyone everywhere has the opportunities they deserve’. If she is serious about this vision, we urge her and Kit Malthouse to take urgent action to give 1.7 million children the chance to be part of this future.

Note: This article is published in the November issue of Nursery World, which went to press on 21 October, the day Liz Truss resigned as Prime Minister.