A crisis in communication

There couldn't be a cause much closer to my heart than language. So it's a shock to learn that in some areas of the UK, over half the children starting school do so without the basic speech and language skills they need.

Yes, half. 50%. And 'basic' means 'basic': things like recognising your own name, or counting to five. That figure again: 50%.

I made this terrifying discovery while working on I CAN's new report (left). I CAN is the children's communication charity. For 20 years, it's been developing practical solutions to children's communication problems. Now it needs dramatically to expand its scope, if we're to turn the tide of a crisis in language that's engulfing the nation.

The charity had already produced an authoritative report on the economic impact of this crisis. Language is the fundamental skill, underpinning all the others we ever learn. Without it, children grow up with few skills and few qualifications - with obvious implications for the national economy.

I CAN wanted an accompanying report, aimed at major donors, to expose the human cost of this crisis. Because unless these problems are spotted and addressed early, they can decimate people's lives, and leave whole families struggling at the margins of society.

I CAN asked me in to make the report as emotionally engaging and compelling as possible, in order to secure the considerable donations they so urgently need. Hopefully I've achieved that, because this is a campaign that really cannot afford to fail.

You can read the full report as a PDF - just click here (2.2MB). And you don't have to be a major donor to make a donation.