Language and Communication

At the heart of our Early Years curriculum is communication and language. In recent years we have seen a larger percentage of children with speech, language and communication needs on entry to Reception. We prioritise communication and language as the foundation of all our learning opportunities in Reception, established from evidence based research that shows that children who start school behind are significantly more likely to remain behind, with consequences into adulthood.

"One in four children who struggled with language at age five struggled with English at age 11. Those who had good early language development at age five were six times less likely to struggle with English at age 11. The impact of poor language development in the early years is not just educational – with studies showing the negative impact on earnings, literacy skills and mental health as adults, and even the life chances of their own children.” Law J, Charlton

At Gurnard Primary School we value the critical importance of the Reception Year in supporting children to be able to communicate effectively, listen and understand. These are the crucial elements to enable children to succeed as they move through our school. Every child, regardless of circumstance should be able to develop and thrive on their own personal learning journey.

Intent

Children leave Reception being confident communicators with adults and peers. They can listen attentively during learning sessions and can show their understanding by explaining their thoughts using a wide vocabulary.

Implementation

We have a dedicated member of the team to track and support the language and communication needs of the children. All children are screened with a language and communication progression tool on entry to Reception, which allows us to ensure that no children are overlooked. We use the ‘Nuffield English Language Intervention' (NELI) to target children who need support to develop their language and vocabulary. We use BUCKET intervention to support children with listening and attention. Children with more complex language needs are referred to our NHS Speech and Language Team, and we also screen identified children for working memory abilities. We closely monitor children’s understanding of tier two vocabulary, and provide support for children who need to develop their use of these words.

Adults in Reception are adept at weaving new vocabulary into children's play; recasting sentences with enhanced vocabulary and correct grammar and syntax. We have daily dedicated ‘talk time’, in small groups, sharing books, taking part in circle times and using props and artefacts to explore new topics and learn new vocabulary. We use an ‘interaction frequency diagram’ to help the adults think carefully about which children need to be targeted for talk and interaction more frequently.

We invite members of the community in to share quality books with children in small groups of two or three, this allows the children the opportunity to ask and answer questions about the story which they may not have in a whole class story session.

We plan a sequence of essential books and rhymes we want every child to know and love and we involve parents with videos of children performing the rhymes and poems to try to encourage a love of stories and rhymes at home. In our ‘Drawing Club’ sessions, children are exposed to eight new words every week, linked to the story focus.

Children in Reception enjoy the opportunity to take part in ‘Chatter-bag’ which involves the children sharing objects from home and talking about them and answering questions. We also utilise snack time as a good opportunity for children to talk by leaving interesting photographs to spark conversation.

Impact

Children who are identified early and targeted for NELI intervention make rapid progress and when assessed at the end of the programme, all children had made progress and most reached a good level of development in communication and language.

We have observed children using the new vocabulary introduced through drawing club sessions in their play, and parents have noted their children using new words. There was an increase of 32% of children reaching GLD in communication and language, from the initial predictions at the start of the year.

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