Early Years

 

We are excited to announce a new Early Literacy and Language support offer for Reception classrooms. This will include audits, Early Literacy and Language Specialist support days as part of a two-year Partner School Programme, alongside an extensive medium-level training offer for schools. Further information about the programme and how to get involved will be shared soon.

 

NELI

The Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme continues to be available free of charge for all state-funded schools, supporting Reception-aged children who may need additional help with their speech and language development. Funding for the programme has been confirmed until academic year 2028/29, subject to future spending reviews.

NELI is a 20-week evidence-based intervention designed to develop children’s vocabulary, listening, and storytelling skills through targeted small-group and individual sessions. The programme has been shown to have a significant impact, with participating children making an average of 4 months’ additional progress in oral language skills, increasing to 7 months for children eligible for free school meals.

Schools may wish to consider incorporating NELI into their future school improvement plans. A range of case studies demonstrating how schools have successfully implemented the intervention, and the impact it has had on children’s early language development, can be found on the TeachNELI website.

To find out more and register, please visit:
TeachNELI