Nursery World - Opinion: In my view - Why we need radio time

One in ten UK children now suffer from language delay and in some areas teachers report up to 50 per cent of pupils have related problems. A high proportion of young offenders have such poor communication skills that they cannot take advantage of HMS Prison education programmes.

Escalating language deficit in UK children has been identified in the Bercow Report, Sir Jim Rose's Primary Curriculum Review and in 'Learning to Talk', a study commissioned in January by the Communications Champion, Jean Gross, who is leading the Government's £52m Speech and Language Action Plan.

To acquire language naturally we must first learn to listen, and many experts believe daily radio can help. But the BBC axed the last mainstream children's radio last year and now only delivers it on the internet under the TV brand, CBeebies. Children, says the BBC, prefer TV and pop music and will not use radio.

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