Children overlooked as poor verbal skills masks potential

Pupils who lack verbal skills, but have high spatial ability perform less well in GCSEs, research shows.

In a report by GL Assessment, it says students who are highly spatial thinkers – those who think first in images – tend to excel at STEM subjects and often go on to have successful careers as scientists, mathematicians and engineers.

According to analysis, last year’s GCSE grades in England found that those children who are both spatially and verbally able score highly in science, mathematics and design and technology.

However, the analysis also shows that those children who have high spatial ability but poor verbal skills perform far less well.

This equates to approximately 30,000 children in every year group – many of whom would make excellent scientists, technicians and engineers.

The report is based on an analysis of data from the Cognitive Abilities Test, and it seeks to explain what steps teachers can take to redress the balance to ensure these ‘hidden talents’ don’t remain hidden for long.