The Silent Struggle in Schools: How Speech and Language Challenges Go Unseen

There are now 1.9 million children in the UK with speech and language challenges — up from 1.5 million just two years ago. That’s nearly two million children walking into classrooms every day with a hidden difficulty that affects every part of their learning. And yet, this issue remains widely misunderstood, and often completely missed.

Falling Behind — Quietly

Children who struggle to understand or express themselves are at an immediate disadvantage in school. The stats are stark:

• They are 6 times more likely to fall behind in English
• 11 times more likely to fall behind in Maths

And it’s not just reading and writing. Think about subjects like Welsh, French, German, or Drama — where speaking assessments are a core part of the curriculum. For a child with communication challenges, these subjects can feel almost impossible to engage with.

Over time, this can lead to missed targets, low grades, and fewer qualifications. Children begin to disconnect from learning, fall through the cracks, and are often seen as ‘low ability’ — when in reality, they simply haven’t had the right support.

Misunderstood

One of the most heartbreaking parts of this issue is how easily these children are misinterpreted.

Because speech and language challenges are often invisible, the child may not seem like they’re struggling — but their behaviour tells another story.

• A child who doesn’t finish their work and gets kept in at break?
  → Might not have understood the task.
• A child who copies others?
  → Likely didn’t process the instruction.
• A child who acts out or distracts the class?
  → Could be covering for the fact they haven’t followed what’s going on.
• A child who’s just “quiet”?
  → May be withdrawing because they can’t keep up.

These children are often labelled with behaviour problems, learning difficulties, poor attention, or even laziness — but in reality, they are children who haven’t been understood.

They are hidden in plain sight.

Why Early Support Matters

The longer these difficulties go unidentified, the harder it is for children to catch up. Without support, they may:

• Fall further behind academically
• Experience increased anxiety or low self-esteem
• Miss out on GCSEs and qualifications
• Begin to feel school is not for them

And unfortunately, this often sets the tone for what comes next.

Children with speech and language challenges are twice as likely to face periods of unemployment in adulthood. They are also more likely to experience mental health problems — a pattern that begins with feeling lost or left behind in the classroom.

At Vocal Voyage, we’re here to bridge that gap. We work with young people aged 11–24 with speech and language needs through mentoring, youth clubs, confidence-building, and wellbeing support — complementing the work schools and therapists are already doing.

Because no child should be left behind simply because they didn’t understand the question — or couldn’t find the words to answer it.