The Project
The Nuffield Early Language Intervention is designed to improve the spoken language ability of children as they begin primary school. Targeted at children with relatively poor spoken language skills, it is delivered to groups of two to four children, three times a week, alongside some individual sessions. Trained Teaching Assistants (TAs) run the programme, which lasts for 20 weeks during their first year of school (Reception). Sessions focus on listening, narrative and vocabulary skills.
The intervention was developed a team led by Charles Hulme (Education) and Maggie Snowling (St. John’s College) with funding from the Nuffield Foundation, and a previous EEF evaluation found a positive impact on language skills. This trial will test the Reception course in 200 schools. The resources are being published by Oxford University Press, and training for TAs will be provided by Elklan — a specialist training agency focused on speech and language interventions.
More information about the programme can be found here: Nuffield Early Language Intervention resource
Hear how the intervention has been making a difference at Our Lady of Muswell Catholic Primary School in north London here: www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=13&v=D0pwt4X7b9g
Research Team
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