Oldhamers urged to put down their pens and speak up for spoken language!

Date published: 24 October 2020


On Wednesday, November 25, toddlers, children and young people throughout Oldham are encouraged to put down their pens and take part in No Pens Day Wednesday; a national speaking and listening event organised by I CAN, the children’s communication charity.

Families and schools are encouraged to take part in No Pens Day Wednesday - an annual day of speaking and listening activities that takes place in homes and education settings across the country to raise awareness of communication as a key life skill. 

Almost 10% of all children and young people in the UK - more than 1.4 million - have speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).

By taking part in No Pens Day Wednesday, parents and teaching professionals working across all phases of education can help:

·    - Develop spoken language skills of children and young people

·    - Advance staff understanding of spoken language and embed it into the curriculum

·    - Experience new teaching approaches and engage pupils in exciting ‘pens-free’ activities

·    - Identify pupils requiring extra support to develop their speech, language and communication skills.

Louisa Reeves, Head of Impact and Evidence at I CAN, said: “Verbal communication skills are fundamental for learning to read and write, managing emotions, developing friendships and are helpful when entering employment.

"However, spoken language is underrepresented in the curriculum compared to the focus on written language skills.  

"Following long periods away from classroom learning due to Covid-19, encouraging the development of verbal communication is vital to support children and young people.

"That’s why we are calling on early years, primary, secondary schools and colleges and families to get involved with No Pens Day Wednesday by putting down their pens, getting creative in the classroom and speaking up for spoken language!”

For more information about the campaign, sign up for updates here to access I CAN’s wide range of No Pens Day Wednesday resources including lesson plans, top tips, posters, activity ideas, template press releases and a social media tool kit.

Join the conversation online by using the #NoPensDay hashtag on Twitter.


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