Special educational needs provision and academic outcomes for children with teacher reported language difficulties at school entry

Abstract

Background: Language ability predicts academic attainment across the curriculum. Teacher report of language difficulties may therefore help schools identify children that require Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision. Special Educational Needs provision is intended to enable children to reach their academic potential, however the effectiveness of this for children with language difficulties is unknown.

Methods: We linked teacher-ratings on a brief language difficulties questionnaire (13-item) collected in the first year of primary school (N = 7013), with data on SEN provision until age 12-13 and scores on statutory assessments at ages 5-6, 6-7 and 10-11 years from the National Pupil Database (UK). We conducted a preregistered analysis to (a) test the association between teacher-reported language difficulties and later academic outcomes, (b) identify predictors of subsequent SEN provision for monolingual children with language difficulties and (c) test whether SEN provision is associated with better academic outcomes for these children.

Results: Teacher-reported language difficulties predicted achievement in phonics (rs > 0.41), reading (rs > 0.38), writing (rs > 0.32) and maths (rs > 0.40) assessments up to 7 years later. For those with language difficulties, having an existing diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental condition or sensory impairment was the strongest predictor of SEN registration (OR [95% CI] 8.33 [4.12, 19.24]) and special education placement (OR [95% CI] 18.89 [9.29, 42.01]) during primary school. However, 38% of children registered as having a primary speech, language and communication need, lost this registration during transition to secondary education. We could not estimate the effect of SEN provision on academic outcomes, as the majority of children with high propensity to receive SEN provision did receive provision, and very few children in SEN settings completed statutory assessments.

Conclusions: Teacher perceptions of language difficulties at school entry, in the presence of additional risk factors, should prompt SEN provision. Recognition and support for language difficulties should be sustained throughout children's education.

Keywords: academic attainment; language disorder; school placement; special educational needs; statutory assessment.

FIGURE 1

Shows percentages of children that have a registered Special Educational Needs (SEN) in each academic year, split by whether or not they were identified as having language difficulties in Reception (age 4–5).

FIGURE 2

Panel (A) shows percentage of children with a registered Special Educational Needs (SEN) in each primary need category in each year. Panel (B) shows the percentage of children with teacher identified language difficulties and a registered SEN in each primary need category in each year.

FIGURE 3

An alluvium plot showing movement in and out of the Speech Language and Communication Need (SLCN) primary need category for all children that had ever appeared in this category between Reception (age 4–5) and Year 8 (age 12–13). Each bar shows number of children with SLCN listed as their primary need, those on the register with another primary need, and those who were not on the register in that year.