7 Oral Language Statistics Every New Zealand Teacher Should Know

What do New Zealand's latest oral language statistics tell us about the children entering our classrooms?

Something is changing in New Zealand schools.

Teachers across the country are reporting that more children are arriving at school unable to tell a simple story, explain their thinking, express their feelings, or hold a sustained conversation. These aren't isolated cases. They're a part of a broader national trend.

The latest research from New Zealand's Education Review Office (ERO) paints a concerning picture. Oral language difficulties are affecting children's learning long before reading and writing begin. This has significant implications for literacy, well being, and academic success.

The encouraging news is that oral language can be developed. Research shows that intentional teaching and rich language experiences can make a measurable difference to children's outcomes. Here are seven New Zealand oral language statistics every teacher, school leader, and early childhood educator should know.

1. One in Five New Zealand Children Start School Struggling with Oral Language

One of the most significant findings from the latest Education Review Office (ERO) research is that one in five New Zealand children begin school struggling with oral language.

By the time children start school, they are generally expected to speak in connected sentences, retell a simple story, explain an event, ask and answer questions, and use language to express increasingly complex ideas and emotions. When these skills are still developing, children can find it more difficult to participate in classroom learning, build relationships, and develop early literacy skills.

This finding highlights the importance of supporting children's oral language development from the earliest years, before they begin school.

2. Parents Are Observing Oral Language Challenges Long Before School

Teachers aren't the only ones noticing concerns about children's communication.

ERO found that 56% of surveyed parents and whānau reported their toddler (18 months to three years) had some difficulty with oral language. This increased to 70% for preschoolers aged three to five years.

These are parent-reported concerns rather than clinical diagnoses, but they suggest many families are recognising communication challenges well before children start school. This highlights the importance of noticing concerns early so children can benefit from rich language experiences and appropriate support before they enter the classroom.

3. Children Are Struggling to Express Their Ideas

Oral language is about much more than learning new words. It enables children to organise their thinking, share ideas, and participate in everyday learning.

According to ERO, 43% of parents and whānau reported their child had some difficulty with oral grammar. Children most commonly struggled to form sentences, tell stories, and use language to express their thoughts and feelings.

These are the communication skills children rely on every day at school, whether explaining their thinking in mathematics, discussing a book, asking questions, or working with classmates. When children struggle to express themselves, it can affect learning across the curriculum.

4. Covid-19 Has Had a Lasting Impact on Oral Language Development

Many educators continue to see the long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on children's communication skills.

ERO found that 59% of surveyed early childhood teachers believed Covid-19 had negatively affected children's oral language development, particularly their social communication. Similar concerns were reported by new entrant teachers.

Many children missed valuable opportunities for everyday conversations, collaborative play, and social interaction during key stages of language development. Although classrooms have returned to normal, schools must continue to support children as they rebuild these important communication skills.

5. Some Children Face Greater Challenges Than Others

Oral language challenges are not experienced equally across all communities.

ERO found that only one-third of surveyed new entrant teachers believed that most children started school with the expected level of oral language. Teachers working in lower socioeconomic communities were nine times more likely to report children entering school below expected oral language levels.

These findings highlight the importance of equitable access to high-quality oral language teaching and early support. Every child deserves opportunities to develop the communication skills that underpin successful learning.

6. Oral Language Predicts Future Learning Success

Oral language is about much more than learning to talk. It is closely linked to children's future learning and wellbeing. ERO highlights that early oral language supports literacy as well as the social-emotional skills children need to regulate behaviour, communicate their needs, and express their thoughts and feelings. Research also shows that vocabulary at age two is strongly associated with literacy and numeracy achievement at age twelve.

International research estimates that Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) affects around 7.5% of children, or roughly two children in an average classroom. This is a separate measure from the broader estimate that one in five New Zealand children experience oral language difficulties when they begin school.

These findings reinforce the importance of recognising and supporting oral language development as early as possible.

7. The Good News: High-Quality Teaching Makes a Difference

While the statistics are concerning, the research also provides reason for optimism.

ERO highlights international evidence showing that oral language and communication-focused teaching in early childhood education can provide children with around seven months of additional language progress within one year.

Teacher knowledge and family partnerships also play an important role. ERO found that 94% of qualified ECE teachers felt confident in their knowledge of oral language development, compared with 64% of non-qualified teachers. However, 53% of surveyed parents and whānau said they had not received information from their child's early childhood service about their child's oral language progress.

Rich conversations, shared storytelling, explicit vocabulary teaching, questioning, and opportunities for children to explain their thinking all contribute to stronger oral language development. By intentionally prioritising these experiences, schools and early childhood services can help children build the communication skills that support literacy, learning, and lifelong success.

The Bottom Line

The statistics tell a clear story.

Too many New Zealand children are beginning school without the oral language skills they need to thrive. Yet the evidence also offers hope: oral language is highly teachable, and purposeful, evidence-informed teaching can make a significant difference.

Every conversation, shared story, open-ended question, and opportunity for children to express their ideas helps build the foundations for literacy and lifelong learning.

As New Zealand continues to strengthen literacy outcomes, investing in oral language isn't an optional extra. It is one of the most effective places to start. Oral language is the foundation on which literacy, confidence, relationships and academic success are built. By prioritising oral language, schools and early childhood services are investing in children's success both inside and beyond the classroom.

References

Education Review Office. (2024). Let's Keep Talking: Oral Language Development in the Early Years.

Education Review Office. (2024). Good Practice for Oral Language Development in the Early Years.

Education Review Office. (2024). Oral Language in the Early Years: Evidence Brief.

Law, J., Charlton, J., Dockrell, J., Gascoigne, M., McKean, C., & Theakston, A. (2017). Early language development: Needs, provision and intervention for preschool children.

Rowe, M. L. (2012). A Longitudinal Investigation of the Role of Quantity and Quality of Child-Directed Speech in Vocabulary Development. Child Development, 83(5), 1762–1774.