I have visited more than 1,000 schools in England and Wales in the past three years, and a constant theme that emerged was the decline in children's speaking and listening skills, especially in the primary sector.
Research carried out by my agency into teachers' perception of the problem produced similar results - although when considering personal opinion, it is important to take into account the extent we tend to view things as better in the past.
We surveyed headteachers who, five years ago, were teaching in a school that admitted under-fives. We asked them if they thought there had been any change in the language skills of children starting school now, compared to those attending five years ago.
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