SILENT STRUGGLE Lockdown linked to soaring speech problems - one in five kids suffering

SILENT STRUGGLE: Speech Problems Soar by 35% - now one in five children - as Kids Are Punished for Struggling to Speak

Britain is facing a hidden crisis in the classroom - with a staggering rise in children struggling to talk and understand language since before the pandemic.

New research today reveals two million children across the UK now face speech and language challenges - a shocking 35 per cent increase since 2019, when the number stood at 1.5 million.

It means one in five children are now affected, compared to around one in seven before Covid turned their lives upside down.

Experts say the system is failing these children catastrophically - with thousands being unfairly punished for problems they simply cannot help.

In a bombshell new study by charity Speech and Language UK, a staggering 78 percent of teachers admitted that children are being sanctioned for struggling to express themselves, not for bad behaviour.

Nearly half of teachers said they hadn't been given enough training to support pupils with speech difficulties - and 46 per cent said their school's behaviour policies don't even take these challenges into account.

The research indicates all school ages are affected, though the most critical problems affected those in early childhood to age 11.

"This research paints a frightening picture of a system that is stuck in the past," warned Jane Harris, Chief Executive of Speech and Language UK.

"Our education system is catastrophically failing two million children - and the government must act now."

She said children with speech and language difficulties are often misunderstood as naughty or disruptive - when in reality, they are battling to keep up with lessons they simply cannot comprehend.

Teacher Lauren, who now works in special needs education, said: "Teachers are not the ones failing these children - it's the system.

"I've had children with speech and language challenges look me in the eyes and ask, 'What's wrong with me?' - which is absolutely heartbreaking.

"The truth is there's nothing wrong with them. What's wrong is a system that wasn't built to support every child."

Families are being dragged into the nightmare too - with 44 percent of parents saying their child had been punished unfairly at school because of speech and language issues.

Róisín, a former teacher and mum to Ellen, revealed the devastating impact on her daughter's confidence.

"Ellen was called lazy because she wasn't finishing the work. She couldn't finish it because she couldn't understand it," she said.

"She was often shouted at for daydreaming and kept in at break time. But she wasn't daydreaming - she was just overloaded.

"My bright, sassy little girl entered primary school full of confidence. She left at 11 years old a selective mute with rock-bottom self-esteem."

The consequences of failing these children reach far beyond the school gates.

Without proper support, they are six times more likely to fall behind in English, eleven times more likely to lag in Maths by age 11, and twice as likely to be unemployed as young adults according to Speech and Language UK.

Shockingly, children with speech and language difficulties make up almost half of all mental health referrals and a staggering two-thirds of the young offender population.

Jane Harris added: "Without urgent action, these children face a lifetime of disadvantage. Better schools mean a better future for all of us."

Speech and Language UK has today launched its Support Not Sanctions campaign, demanding an urgent overhaul of government behaviour guidelines.

They are calling for:

Proper training for every teacher

New government guidance to stop punishing children for things they can't control

Tools and interventions to help pupils communicate and succeed at every stage

They are also urging the public to get behind their fight to demand fairness and a better future for every child.

"With elections looming and promises made to 'break down barriers' and ensure every child's wellbeing, ministers have no excuse," said Ms Harris.

A Department for Education spokeswoman said: "As part of our Plan for Change, we'll ensure a record share of children - tens of thousands more each year - are getting the best start, hitting key developmental targets on communication.

"Our Nuffield Early Language Intervention programme provides support with speech and language development for tens of thousands of children in reception year, and we are going further, faster by working with NHS England on a project for wider language support for children in primary school.

"School leaders are required to develop proportionate behaviour policies that work for their school communities to create safe, calm classrooms."