Sandwell Metropolitan Council is not alone in noticing that the speech and language skills of children entering schools have been declining. In fact, the Government's own communication champion, Jean Gross, has said that one in ten children do not possess good communication skills, and this figure rises to around one in two in the most deprived areas.
Sandwell has its share of challenges. In 2006, it was ranked the 16th most deprived out of 150 authorities in the country, with 80 per cent of households experiencing at least one measure of deprivation. The development of language had been deteriorating for some time and more children were entering school without the vital communication skills needed to help them access learning effectively.
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