General guidance and strategies to develop speech, language and communication

Balanced System for Schools and Settings

The Balanced System Scheme for Schools and Settings is a whole system approach to improving outcomes for children across the range of speech, language and communication needs for any setting that supports children. The framework enables a setting to understand existing need and provision for speech, language and communication and develop provision to address the gaps. The framework supports a setting to demonstrate impact of the support for speech, language and communication.

Cost: £

Language for Learning

Language for Learning provides training and resources to support everyone working with children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.

Developed in 2000 by a specialist teacher and a speech and language therapist, Language for Learning is a Worcestershire joint health and education non-profit making project managed by the NHS service.

Language for Learning provides training to the wider workforce in early years settings and schools, equipping practitioners to support children and young people effectively.  A wide range of training courses are available from half day courses to three day intensive courses.  Language for Learning also has a resource catalogue full of practical resources and ideas to support children in their setting.  

Visit the website to find out more 

Cost: Training commissioned by schools and settings

Communication Supporting Classrooms Observation Tool

Developed as part of the Better Communication Research Programme (2012) following a review of provision for children with speech, language and communication needs, the audit tool is to be used when observing the quality of a learning space from Early Years through the first half of primary school. By auditing the environment, language learning opportunities and language learning interactions, practitioners will be more informed about what they are doing well and what else they could do to support communication.

Cost: Free

Afasic

Afasic supports parents and carers with young children who have difficulties with listening, talking and understanding others. Here is information for you use and to share with families of the children you support. It includes a wide range of information about talking, listening and understanding and what might cause these difficulties.  If families are worried that their young child is not talking or not saying as much as other children of their age, they can contact Afasic by telephone or email to speak to someone who can help. 

Cost: Free

Talk together in daily routines

This leaflet provides information for you to use and to share with parents and carers about how to use everyday activities and routines to talk about what children can see and what is happening. Children learn from experiences and activities that happen over and over again.  This gives adults a chance to use the same words and sentences many times.  Linking these to daily routines will help children to make links between the words, sentences and what they mean.

Cost: Free

Share books

Sharing books is a great way to help a child's talking. Making books part of your daily routine really helps to develop attention, communication and language skills. Use and share this Nottinghamshire Language for Life information leaflet about book sharing as well as many other top tips leaflets to help families you work with understand how to support speech, language and communication.

Cost: Free

Universally Speaking 5-11

Universally Speaking is a series of booklets for anyone who works with children and young people. The booklets show where children should be with their communication skills at any given age.  You can use the booklets to find out whether the children you work with are on the right track, what helps them learn to talk and listen and what to do if you have concerns about any of their communication abilities.

Cost: Free

What Works database

The Communication Trust worked with the Better Communication Research Programme to develop the What Works database of evidenced interventions to support children's speech, language and communication. What Works is endorsed by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.  It supports practitioners to deliver evidence-informed interventions and approaches to support children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.

BCTC Toolkit - Effective Communication

Cost: Free

Signalong

Signalong provides training and resources to assist those with communication difficulties and English as an additional language.

Signalong is a key word sign-supported communication system based on British sign language and is used in spoken word order. It uses speech, sign, body language, facial expression and voice tone to reference the link between sign and word.

Cost: Free & £

WellComm Toolkit

The WellComm Assessment is for use with any child aged 6-11 years and enables practitioners to evaluate children's language skills, draw up a detailed profile and identify children at risk of having difficulty in developing language skills.  It identifies those children who need setting-based monitoring and support and those who need referral to specialist support services.  The screen is completed through observation and by asking children to carry out a variety of tasks ensuring that results obtained and conclusions drawn are more accurate than using one approach alone.

The WellComm Big Book of Ideas has been designed for use following a WellComm assessment of any child.  It includes general strategies as well as very specific activities to develop and improve children's speech and language skills and can be implemented by any practitioner or parent.  The activities are used to develop the particular skills highlighted for support in the assessment - this means that the activities delivered are specific and appropriate to the individual child language development stage and can be used in the school or at home.

Training videos are included in the toolkit.  

Lift Lessons 6-14

Digital resources with a focus on teaching keywords in science to empower students aged 6 to 14 with their academic language.

Teaching Children to Listen

Teaching Children to Listen is an evidence based and practical approach to helping children learn the four  rules of good listening and to motivate them to use these skills in different contexts. It is designed to be delivered as a whole class intervention with children from Early Years to the end of Primary. The listening rating scale can be used to track children and show evidence of impact.

Cost: Can be commissioned by schools and settings

Word Aware

Word Aware is a structured whole school approach to promote the vocabulary development of all children. The resource is of particular value for those who start at a disadvantage – including children with Developmental Language Disorder, Special Educational Needs and those who speak English as an additional language, but it will extend the word learning of all students.  It includes activities that can be used in 1-1 or small groups for children who are finding word learning particularly difficult. 

Cost: £

EIF Early Years Library - Recognising and Expressing Emotions

The Early Intervention Foundation's Early Years Library contains booklets covering core social and emotional skills and key practices that can be used to support skill development.  The 'Recognising and expressing emotions' booklet provides information about: 

• Learning feeling words
• Identifying feelings using facial expressions and body language
• Describing how we feel
• Recognising other people’s feelings

Click here for the Recognising and expressing emotions booklet 

Access all booklets in the Early Years Library here: https://www.eif.org.uk/resource/early-years-library

Cost: Free

EIF Early Years Library - Communicating with others

The Early Intervention Foundation's Early Years Library contains booklets covering core social and emotional skills and key practices that can be used to support skill development.  The 'Communicating with others' booklet provides information about: 

• Communicating non-verbally
• Engaging in conversation
• Listening
• Greeting others and introducing yourself
• Using polite language

Click here for the Communicating with others booklet 

Access all booklets in the Early Years Library here: https://www.eif.org.uk/resource/early-years-library

Cost: Free

EIF Early Years Library - Language and Listening

The Early Intervention Foundation's Early Years Library contains booklets covering core language and early literacy skills and key practices that can be used to support skill development.  The Language and listening booklet provides information about: 

• Learning new words
• Using new words in context
• Listening and responding
• Remembering stories
• Answering questions about a story

Click here for the Language and Listening booklet

Access all booklets in the Early Years Library here: https://www.eif.org.uk/resource/early-years-library

Cost: Free

EIF Early Years Library - Phonological Awareness

The Early Intervention Foundation's Early Years Library contains booklets covering core language and early literacy skills and key practices that can be used to support skill development.  The Phonological awareness booklet provides information about: 

• Identifying a word’s first and last sound
• Recognising rhyming sounds by listening
• Producing rhyming sounds and words
• Syllable awareness
• Oral segmenting (from words to sounds)
• Oral blending (from sounds to words)

Click here for the Phonological Awareness booklet

Access all booklets in the Early Years Library here: https://www.eif.org.uk/resource/early-years-library

Cost: Free

Language for Learning resources

Language for Learning aims to offer really practical strategies to support children in their early years or mainstream setting. They aim to share resources that they use and promote on our training courses, including national initiatives such as the Communication Commitment.