Primary School Children are Hindered by Lack of Vocabulary or Word Gap

Primary school children are suffering from a lack of vocabulary which is affecting their learning and development.

According to the Why Closing the Word Gap Matters: Oxford Language Report, a staggering 49 per cent of children in Year 1 have a limited vocabulary or word gap, that is big enough to limit their learning.

And it doesn’t get much better as time moves on. When it comes to Year 7, the first year in secondary school, it has only narrowed to 43 per cent.

More than 1,300 teachers took part in the research which found that 69 per cent of primary school teachers and 60 per cent of secondary school teachers said each fresh intake had a more limited vocabulary than the previous year.

Strategy Director for UK Education at OUP, Jane Harley said: “Language opens doors. It unlocks the world of reading and the imagination, the excitement of writing, the capacity to explore new subjects, and releases our potential to learn and grow as an individual. In schools, it underpins progress, impacts on attainment through primary and secondary years, affects self-esteem and behaviour, and plays a huge role in a child’s future life chances. Without enough language – a word gap – a child is seriously limited in their enjoyment of school and success beyond. Language is at the heart of education and we believe that more needs to be done to address the issue throughout school and give teachers support to make a difference to these children’s lives.”

When it comes to secondary school, lack of vocabulary hinders progress in subjects other than English, including History and Geography. This is concerning, because a staggering 82 per cent of teachers said that pupils affected would be ‘less likely’ to stay in education.

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