In this thought-provoking blog, Emma Mudge, our lead English Lead and one of SFE’s experienced team of safeguarding advisers, explores how these two areas interact with each other, and how a lack of reading ability in particular, can impact and exacerbate safeguarding concerns…

In safeguarding, there are many things that feel out of control of the Education system – housing, poverty, online access, contextual concerns etc. Our power, it feels, is in referring and signposting to other, more specialist support. One thing which is fully within our remit however, is a child’s ability to read. In this blog, we will explore the connections between illiteracy and safeguarding vulnerability and shed some light upon this often under-recognised issue.

Let’s start off by considering how an inability to read or write, increases or compounds safeguarding risks…

Communication is Key!

In Keeping children safe in education 2026 (KCSiE), it states that:

“Whilst the age of the child may be a contributing factor for an imbalance of power, there are a range of other factors that could make a child more vulnerable to exploitation, including, sexual identity, cognitive ability, having a physical or learning disability, or being neurodivergent, communication ability, physical strength, status, and access to economic or other resources.” (KCSiE, P.157)

So how a child communicates to others is identified as a safeguarding vulnerability in its own right.

It is well known that those children who are young and unable to communicate effectively, or those with severe SEND needs or who are non or pre-verbal, are at an increased risk and we must keep a closer eye on those children to try to ensure that we spot any safeguarding warning signs early on. However, it is also important to cast that net wider and consider how a lack of vocabulary also impacts communication ability and therefore can increase a child’s vulnerability – this makes us consider EAL children as well as others who have limited vocabulary.

In addition to being a specific vulnerability, communication is vital for disclosure:

“All staff should be aware that children may not feel ready or know how to tell someone that they are being abused, exploited, or neglected…It is also important that staff determine how best to build trusted relationships which facilitate communication with children and young people.” (KCSiE, Paragraph 16, P.11)

If a child does not have the tools to effectively communicate the harm that they are experiencing, then even if they are brave enough to tell someone, they will struggle to communicate the extent of the situation effectively or accurately. This could lead to missed opportunities, dismissal of the issue or the rejection of a child when they are reaching out for support.

In the 2024-25 Annual Report by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, it was identified that speech and language challenges were reported as affecting 8% of the children whose cases they had been tasked to review. They then go on to say that: “Of these 23 children, over half (52%) were receiving support, 22% were not receiving support and, in the remaining 26%, it was unclear in the review if they were receiving support.” (p.37)

So, from both perspectives – as a vulnerability in its own right and as a tool to disclose harm – speech and language and an ability to communicate effectively, are critical areas which we as DSLs need to have an awareness of, and we as educationists have a duty to address and improve.

How Does Reading Improve Communication?

So, we have established how important communication is within the world of safeguarding, but illiteracy does not necessarily mean that communication is always poor, right?

In itself, that assertion can be correct, especially when there is a strong oral storytelling tradition, however there is an incredibly strong correlation between reading and vocabulary acquisition. The English language has over 1 million words within it and to be successful at accessing GCSEs and then to continue on into further education, training or employment, we need to aim for children to have a word bank of approximately 50,000 words (‘Closing the Vocabulary Gap’, Alex Quigley, 2018, P.2).

In our daily talk, only about 2000 words make up 80% of our spoken language (‘Closing The Vocabulary Gap’, P.16), so where do we get the rest of this vocabulary from? The answer is clear – books.

Reading frequently and reading a wide range of fiction and non-fiction to children both before they can read themselves and after, and developing an environment where children choose to read themselves, not only increases vocabulary acquisition, but also impacts upon empathy, emotional intelligence, knowledge of positive and negative relationships, knowledge of human achievement and ambition, and many other areas beyond. In short, reading has an impact upon a child’s ability to recognise harm and to be able to communicate that harm to others.

In addition, reading ability has an unquestionable impact upon academic attainment. This, in itself, can lead to (or compound) other safeguarding risks.

What Else Does Illiteracy Impact?

Whilst at school, if a child is struggling with reading, this is likely to have an impact upon almost all areas of their school life. This is because a level of literacy is required for all subjects – in maths we need children to be able to read and understand contextual application questions and write to explain their own answers, in science pupils are required to use complex technical vocabulary in their own investigation reports and in the humanities students are required to read and evaluate complex texts and sources.

A barrier such as reading ability can therefore bleed into a wide range of safeguarding areas including:

NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training)

If a child leaves school at a level of literacy which limits their future opportunities, then there is an increased chance that they will become NEET. In the Centre For Young Lives ‘State of The Nation’ report (July 2026), it is identified that there is a worsening NEET crisis in England with an increase from 650,765 individuals (16-24 yrs) being identified at NEET in 2018, to 839,893 individuals in 2025 (p.27).

There are, of course, a variety of factors which will contribute to an individual becoming NEET, and these do not always have a root in reading ability or educational attainment, however, as the report states: “The growth in the NEET population illustrates how the perfect storm of poverty, poor mental health, educational disengagement and unmet need can continue to shape opportunities and outcomes long after childhood.” 

In addition to this, having NEET experiences as a young adult can further impact into adult life. In the 1970 British Cohort Study, researchers have followed the lives of 17,000 individuals who were born in a single week in 1970 in the UK, systematically tracking these individuals throughout their lives. As part of this study, the researchers issue reports regularly, bringing together specific piece of information and data.

In one of these reports published in April 2026, it is noted that “NEET experiences in early adulthood have lasting consequences well into midlife, affecting employment, financial security, and health up to age 51” (Long Term Consequences of Being NEET In Early Adulthood , Centre For Longitudinal Studies, P.1).

Illiteracy in Parents

So, the impact upon not acquiring a broad vocabulary base or an adequate level of reading ability is vast, with ripples of negative consequences continuing into the future. This of course, also means that we as DSLs need to consider the effect of illiteracy in the families of the children we work with.

• Can your families access the support materials, signposts and resources which are given to them or are available on the website (policies for example)? If not, how likely are you to know?
• How would you try to overcome the barrier of shame which many of our illiterate families, or those with a poor level of literacy, hold?
• Do you foster positive, open relationships which encourage those who are struggling to access these materials to approach you and ask for help?
• Do you use language in meetings which are fully understood by all of those attending? Does your safeguarding team encourage questions for clarification from your families?
• Do you consider the health, emotional and financial impacts of being illiterate and put support in place to minimise these wherever possible?
• Are there adult education classes in the local area which you can signpost families to?

Summary

As school DSLs, we are both educationalists and safeguarding experts. We know our families best and we often have very positive relationships with them in comparison to other safeguarding partners (police, social care and health).

There are very few aspects of safeguarding where all of these aspects overlap and we can truly have a long-term positive impact upon – teaching children to read and to communicate effectively is one of them.

This area is therefore a core aspect of our role which will not only improve pupils’ SATs or GSCE grades, but will also impact positively upon our pupils for the rest of their lives, hopefully minimising safeguarding vulnerabilities and increasing the likelihood of early help if trouble or concerns arise.

As a result, teaching children to read must be the highest priority for all senior leaders, governors, DSLs and teachers throughout the education system today.

If you found this blog useful, you may also be interested in reading the following blogs:

KCSIE 2026: What Schools Need to Know

By Lucie Welch

01
Aug

Early Reading under the New Inspection Framework: What English and Phonics Leaders Need to Know

Emma Mudge explores what the new framework means for early reading, what is no longer...

14
Oct

Reading as Part of our Safeguarding Provision

Following the publication of Renaissance’s ‘What Kids Are Reading’ report, we explore the importance of...

20
Oct

Oracy Opportunities in the Classroom – Resource

Primary Writing Leadership for English Leaders

Increasing Whole School Greater Depth Attainment (Online)

Designed to support English leaders in developing their curriculum to support and scaffold our GD writers throughout the primary school, this full day course will explore current and recent guidance, the National Curriculum, the STA expectations and EEF research to inform our individual actions moving forward.

This course will deepen your understanding of the requirements within the key stages and year groups, ensuring that the core skills required to become greater depth are developed consistently and progressively.

  About the Author

Emma Mudge - Adviser, Services For Education

Emma has more than 20 years' experience in primary education and has worked in a variety of roles, including Assistant Head Teacher, Deputy Head Teacher and Acting Head Teacher - working at the forefront of school leadership and improvement for the majority of her career.

Emma now works as an Educational Adviser, sharing her experience and knowledge to continually promote and improve the standard of teaching and learning in English, develop and extend the safeguarding culture within schools and to support leaders with their school improvement implementation overall.

Supporting schools with the accuracy of their writing assessments is an important part of her role, using her expertise as the moderation and monitoring manager to inform, train and support teachers and school leaders.

Emma is also part of the team which delivers the Health For Life programme (improving the healthy opportunities for primary aged children) and has delivered the NPQSL for 3 years, where she proudly supports the development of our aspiring leaders in the city.