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Please use this Microsoft forms link to let us know what you think about the Padlet

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Children's Speech and Language Therapy- Mid Essex

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Children's Speech and Language Therapy- Mid Essex

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The Mid Essex Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service provides support and assistance to children and young people who are experiencing difficulties with speech, language, understanding, talking, communication and with feeding & swallowing.

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Removing Phonological Barriers training - Alresford Hub

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Removing Phonological Barriers training - Alresford Hub

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Alresford Communication Hub training - Removing Phonological Barriers. Recording of session 4.2.25

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SEND advice and guidance: Ordinarily Available (OA) | Essex Schools Infolink

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Guidance on the Ordinarily Available recommendations.

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Helping your child understand language: one information carrying word

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Children's Speech and Language Therapy - North East Essex

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Children's Speech and Language Therapy - North East Essex

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The North Essex Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service provides support and assistance to children and young people who are experiencing difficulties with speech, language, understanding, talking, communication and with feeding & swallowing.

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Speech and Language Therapy North Essex - Essex Child & Family Wellbeing Service

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We are the provider for the NHS children’s Speech and Language Service in North Essex which includes Colchester and Tendring. The North Essex Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service provides support and assistance to children and young people who are experiencing difficulties with speech, language, understanding, talking, communication and with feeding & swallowing. We do […]

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Children's Speech and Language Therapy - West Essex

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Children's Speech and Language Therapy - West Essex

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The West Essex Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service provides support and assistance to children and young people who are experiencing difficulties with speech, language, understanding, talking, communication and with feeding & swallowing.

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The training hub is where schools and early years and childcare providers can browse, book or purchase face to face and virtual courses, conferences, workshops and events

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Welcome to the Education Essex online Training Hub

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The training hub is where schools and early years and childcare providers can browse, book or purchase face to face and virtual courses, conferences, workshops and events Search by event type:

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These workshops and information sessions cover a range of topics around caring for your child

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Our workshops and information sessions cover a range of topics around caring for your child.

In this article

About our workshops

We're currently running our workshops as virtual sessions, which take place via Zoom. We do look forward to being able to offer in-person workshops again in the future, once it is appropriate to do so.

Many of our workshops are tailored to different child age groups, particularly younger children. We also run a series of general workshops appropriate for parents of children of all ages.

We add new workshop dates all the time, so if you can't find what you're looking for, please come back soon.

Browse workshops by subject

Speech, language and communication

Virtual workshops for parents of children with communication difficulties associated with hearing impairment, language impairment and autism.

We run three versions of this workshop: for early years, primary school and secondary school-age children.

Browse on eventbrite
Browse workshops by age group

We run workshops for parents of children at different age groups. Browse our workshops for families of:

Regional workshops

Due to funding, some of our workshops are available to parent carers in particular areas. Browse our workshops for:

Rare conditions workshops

We run a range of workshops tailored to families with children who have rare conditions.
Browse on Eventbrite
All workshops
Browse all our workshops in one place

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Our workshops and information sessions cover a range of topics around caring for your child.

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TLC is an Essex campaign helping parents, carers and families give their young children the best start to life, developing their communication skills through playful learning at home.

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This is the content area of the home page…

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MAZE Parenting Programme ( North East Essex)

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MAZE Parenting Programme ( North East Essex)

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MAZE are a group offering a Parent Programme which is specifically designed to support parents of children with additional needs. It is currently free for parents in Tendring.

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MAZE Parenting Programme - The MAZE Group

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About the Programme The MAZE Parenting Programme is a structured specialist 12-week programme (10 weeks online) for parents/carers of children and young people with any kind of additional needs (with or without a diagnosis). The Programme runs termly (January-April, April-July, September-December) There are several visiting professionals from health, education and independent organisations who join us [...]

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stamma.org offer advice, parent support groups and training.

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© 2018 - 2023 STAMMA, British Stammering Association trading as STAMMA, reg. charity no. 1089967/SC038866, reg. company no. 04297778 (England & Wales)

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WellComm Early Years (6 months – 6 years) and WellComm Primary (6 – 11 years) are two unique speech and language toolkits that offer the complete solution from screening to intervention. Each toolkit includes guided observation that’ll help you identify any problems along with the activities you may need to address them.

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Delayed language skills lead to under-performance later in life, yet many primary school children have unidentified speech and language difficulties. WellComm can help you to turn this around.
Both the Early Years and the Primary toolkits enable you to quickly and easily identify children needing support. They're quick and simple to use (requiring no speech and language expertise), and the traffic light scoring format of the instant reports makes them quick to interpret.

Both toolkits come with an age-appropriate Big Book of Ideas providing a total of over 150 instant, play-based activities so you can take appropriate action straight away. Activities can be used with parents at home too, so that support is provided whether or not a child is referred to a speech and language therapist

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Both the Early Years and the Primary toolkits enable you to quickly and easily identify children needing support.

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Support for children learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) in the EYFS - Essex guidance

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Support for children learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) in the EYFS - Essex guidance

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EAL in EYFS

Home Language Profile template

Welcoming refugee children

For advice contact andree.race@essex.gov.uk

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FREE resources for use of visuals at home and transitioning to/ from the home.

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Autistic pupils have strengths and differences in the way they learn. For many, verbal input, such as speech, is one of the most challenging modalities, while visual information may often be more easily understood.

Presenting information in a visual way can help to support and encourage the ability to process information, communication, and language development. It can also promote independence, self-confidence and raise self-esteem.

When using visual support it is important to ensure they are appropriate to the individual and in line with their needs and current stage of development. Visual supports are very personal and what works for one pupil may not work for another. Once you introduce a type of visual support (for example, timetable, schedule, cue cards), use it consistently so that the pupil becomes used to it.

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Autistic pupils have strengths and differences in the way they learn. For many, verbal input, such as speech, is one of the most challenging modalities, while visual information may often be more easily understood. Presenting information in a visual way can help to support and encourage the ability to process information, communication, and language development.

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Information for adults on how to introduce a core board to a child to aid their communication.

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Speech Articulation Screener - For use when referring into HCRG (North East Essex)

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Speech Articulation Screener - For use when referring into HCRG (North East Essex)

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FREE Early Talk Boost - Research trial from EEF

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FREE Early Talk Boost - Research trial from EEF

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This trial aims to evaluate the Early Talk Boost intervention in an independent and rigorous way to test it’s impact on children’s oral language skills.

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Trial to test the impact of a targeted communication and language intervention for 3 – 4‑year-old children.

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We understand that all children develop at their own pace, and that we’re all learning from birth. When it’s time to start school, some children will need more help than others.

There are key skills that schools expect children to be learning before their first day. Practising these will make your child’s journey to Reception as positive as possible.

If your child is already at nursery, in pre-school, or with a childminder, those professionals will work with you and your child to help get them ready.

There’s lots you can do at home to build your child’s confidence and independence, helping them feel emotionally and practically prepared to start school.

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What should I do if I have concerns about my child's development?

If you're worried about your child's progress, talk to your childminder/nursery/pre-school team, health visitor, local children's centre or Family Hub.

If your child has developmental delays or SEND (suspected or confirmed), speak to their nursery, childminder, or health visitor/nursery/pre-school team well before they start Reception and discuss their needs when you are selecting schools.

You can work with your child's early years setting to help your child with self-care, managing emotions, social skills and communication in a way that suits their stage of development.

​You might want to share details about: their development, needs, what motivates them, what might trigger difficulties, how they learn best, and what strategies work well.

Make sure you share important information with everyone supporting your child, including their new Reception teacher.

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Your child's journey to school starts at home. We understand that all children develop at their own pace, and that we're all learning from birth. When it's time to start school, some children will need more help than others.

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4th Feb - Removing Phonological Barriers 

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4th Feb - Removing Phonological Barriers 

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Rowena and Carolyn will be running an online session focusing on phonological awareness and barriers, how to identify them and how to run activities to help build early speech and phonics skills.

This training is aimed at Pre-school, nursery, child-minder and EYFS settings.

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Useful videos from the Autism Strategy Team

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Useful videos from the Autism Strategy Team

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The following films have been coproduced with short breaks providers, schools, families and health colleagues, to provide information about how you can support the children and young people that you work with. The topics for the films are based on feedback from Essex Parents and Carers and have been designed to support the Implementation of the Ordinarily Available.

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Useful videos from the Autism Strategy team

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The following films have been coproduced with short breaks providers, schools, families and health colleagues, to provide information about how you can support the children and young people that you work with. The topics for the films are based on feedback from Essex Parents and Carers and have been designed to support the Implementation of the Ordinarily Available.

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Helping your child understand language: two information carrying words

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Children's Speech and Language Therapy - South East Essex: Rochford and Castle Point and Southend

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Children's Speech and Language Therapy - South East Essex: Rochford and Castle Point and Southend

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EPUT Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service provides assessment, advice, direct and indirect interventions for children and young people with speech, language and communication delay/disorders and/or feeding and swallowing difficulties

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Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

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Children’s Speech & Language Therapy - Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

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Children’s speech and language therapy helps kids learn to talk, understand others, and communicate better.

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Making it REAL (Raising Early Achievement in Literacy) is an award-winning programme that works with practitioners to support children’s early literacy and development.

The programme helps practitioners to build parents’ knowledge and confidence so that they can help their children with reading and writing and create a positive early home learning environment.

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Make it REAL, project overview - Essex County Council

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Speech and Language UK - advice line and webinars

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Speech and Language UK - advice line and webinars

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Speech and Language UK are offering free webinars for parents of children aged 12 months to 4 years who are concerned about their child’s talking and understanding of words. They offer seven different themed webinars which are led by an experienced speech and language therapist. Each will equip you with activities and approaches to encourage development.

One webinar takes place every week, and you can attend one or all of the webinars depending on the age of your child and your interest in the different topics.  In each webinar, they will talk through a range of targeted activities and approaches that you can put into practice with your child at home.

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Speech and Language information webinars for Parents

Speech and Language UK are offering 4 separate webinars to support families with their child's speech, language and communication skills at home. They are led by a speech and language therapist. In each webinar, they will talk through a range of targeted activities and approaches that you can put into practice with your child at home.
Each webinar has a different theme:
Supporting language development at home

Sharing books to develop language

Using songs and rhymes to develop language

Symbolic noises and first words

Book on a webinar by clicking here: TALK Parent Webinars (speechandlanguage.org.uk)

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Speech and Language UK are offering 4 separate webinars to support for families with their child's speech, language and communication skills at home.

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Tiny Happy People can help you develop your child’s language and communication skills, so they get the best start in life.

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Tiny Happy People is here to help you develop your child's language skills. Explore our simple activities and play ideas and find out about babies and toddlers' amazing early development.

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Children’s language development and parenting advice - BBC Tiny Happy People

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A chatty child is a happy child, so Tiny Happy People is here to help you develop your child’s communication skills through simple interaction and play.

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Autism Anglia is an independent charity that provides care and support to autistic children, adults, and their families in East Anglia

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Autism Anglia enhances the lives of those affected by autism in East Anglia

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Stammering - Michael Palin Centre for Stammering.

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Stammering - Michael Palin Centre for Stammering.

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Signposting for support, advice and next steps.

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Speech and Language referral process - Pre-school and primary (North East Essex)

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Speech and Language referral process - Pre-school and primary (North East Essex)

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North East Essex have published a webpage that includes information videos, speech sound screener, a new referral form and 'drop in' clinic information.

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Speech and Language Therapy North Essex - Essex Child & Family Wellbeing Service

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We are the provider for the NHS children’s Speech and Language Service in North Essex which includes Colchester and Tendring. The North Essex Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service provides support and assistance to children and young people who are experiencing difficulties with speech, language, understanding, talking, communication and with feeding & swallowing. We do […]

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Infant Language Link is an innovative online package used to identify and support children with mild to moderate SLCN and those new to English. The assessment will also identify any children who may have more severe language needs, such as Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), so that these children can be considered for further investigations and diagnostic assessment with your local speech and language therapy team. Suitable for children aged 4 to 8 years,

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Our award-winning Infant Language Link is an innovative online package used to identify and support children with mild to moderate SLCN and those new to English. The assessment will also identify any children who may have more severe language needs, such as Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), so that these children can be considered for further investigations and diagnostic assessment with your local speech and language therapy team. Suitable for children aged 4 to 8 years, 500 colourful resources, 12 planned termly language groups, 24 individual teaching plans and 52 handouts for parents make this the most comprehensive SLCN package available for schools.
Watch our video to find out why over 3,500 schools use our packages.

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Our award-winning Infant Language Link is an innovative online package used to identify and support children with mild to moderate SLCN and those new to English. The assessment will also identify any children who may have more severe language needs, such as Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), so that these children can be considered for further investigations and diagnostic assessment with your local speech and language therapy team.

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Children learning more than one language

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Children learning more than one language

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Speech and language UK

In the UK around 20% of children speak or understand more than one language. You might hear the terms ‘bilingual’ or ‘English as an additional language’ used to talk about these children.

In the past, some professionals told families to only speak English at home.  Now we know that this was not helpful advice. We have strong evidence from across the world that speaking more than one language is good for children for many reasons.

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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In the UK around 20% of children speak or understand more than one language. You might hear the terms 'bilingual' or 'English as an additional language' used to talk about these children.
Will my child get confused if they hear two or more languages at home?
No. Around half the world's population speak two or more languages! Lots of studies show that children can tell the difference between different languages early on. They might do something called 'code-switching' which is when they replace a word in one language with a word from another language - so they use two languages in one sentence. It's nothing to worry about and is a normal part of bilingualism - even bilingual adults do it!
Will my child do worse at school if they hear two or more languages at home?
No. In fact, many bilingual children do better academically than children who hear and speak one language. A strong foundation in one language helps children to learn other languages, including English, better - this is helps them to do well at school.
Will my child have speech and language challenges if they hear two or more languages at home?
No. Bilingualism does not cause or contribute to speech and language challenges. However, some bilingual children will have speech and language challenges, just as children who speak only one language do. The difference is that a bilingual child with speech and language challenges will have difficulties in BOTH or ALL of their languages - not just in English.
Are some languages more useful than others?
No. Every language is important. Of course, developing English is important for children going to English-speaking schools. But research shows that when a child knows their home language, this helps their academic achievement, self-confidence, and family relationships. Later in life, it can improve their job opportunities. Importantly, it helps your child understand their culture and identity better.
What can I do to help?

Talk to your child in the language that feels the most comfortable to you. If your child learns one language well from you, it will be easier for them to learn English well too.

The more your child hears your home languages, the more they will learn your languages. Get other family members involved too.

Share your feelings, stories, and songs in your languages. Be proud of your languages and share them like a gift!

Further information:

Read our blog post clearing up some myths and presenting the facts around bilingualism.

We also have this blog post about the importance of valuing all languages.
Tiny Happy People - Bilingualism Learn more than one language PDF

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Children learning more than one language

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Children learning more than one language - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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FREE visual resources for use in settings and at home

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FREE visual resources for use in settings and at home

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Discover a wide range of resources, publications and downloads to support use and implementation of AAC and AT

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Helping children learn new words: Early years - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Helping children learn new words: Early years - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Small group activities to develop attention and listening skills and to support children’s social interaction

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Resources to support speech sound development

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Resources to support speech sound development

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Most children’s speech sound development follows a typical pattern. It is normal for children to replace some of the more difficult sounds with sounds which are easier to say. For example 'tar' for 'car' or 'poon' for 'spoon.'

However some children’s speech sounds may develop more slowly or in an unusual way. For example ‘har’ for car or ‘oo’ for spoon, ay-ee for baby. These children may need extra help to develop their speech sounds.

There are different stages to work through, which include both listening to and producing speech sounds. It is important that the child is confident at each stage before moving onto the next.

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Most children's speech sound development follows a typical pattern. It is normal for children to replace some of the more difficult sounds with sounds which are easier to say. For example 'tar' for 'car' or 'poon' for 'spoon.'

However some children's speech sounds may develop more slowly or in an unusual way. For example 'har' for car or 'oo' for spoon, ay-ee for baby. These children may need extra help to develop their speech sounds.

There are different stages to work through, which include both listening to and producing speech sounds. It is important that the child is confident at each stage before moving onto the next.

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Here at Just One Norfolk, we are dedicated to providing children and young people's health services to the community. Find out more about our services

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https://youtu.be/VVM0Ht2BzZs

Training link to the video on BLANKS interventions.

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Helping your child understand language: three information carrying words

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Supporting your child's early speech, language and communication development

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Supporting your child's early speech, language and communication development

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Strategies to use with your child to develop their early language and communication - ECC

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Hungry Little Minds is a campaign from the Department of Education to support families in the home learning environment through offering simple, fun activities for children from newborns up to five.

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Chat, play, read!

Here are some tips and activities to help your child develop their speech skills:

use things your child is interested in for play, follow their lead and make sure you're physically at their level while playing

if you notice your child looking or pointing at something, talk to them about it before they lose interest in it

picture books introduce your child to new things they haven't seen yet in real life - ask them to tell you the story, or talk about what the characters might be thinking and feeling

make reading, singing and playing even more fun by using lots of actions and different voices

take turns to make noises or speak - your child will be able to hold longer conversations, so slow down your speech, give them plenty of time to respond and listen carefully to what they have to say

talk to your child in short, simple sentences, as it's easier for them to understand you and have a go at copying when they are ready

try to use the same book or sing the same song, as young children learn a lot from repetition

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Find out how you can help your child with their speech & language development. If you have any concerns, talk to your doctor or health visitor.

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Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service

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Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service

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https://essexfamilywellbeing.co.uk/hubs/

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Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service

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The Family Hub offer we provide and the outcomes we aim to achieve ensures all families within Essex are supported from before children are born up to the age of 19 or 25 for those with Special Educational needs.

We focus on making sure that everyone in Essex has the best possible start in life through having access to Free, high quality and easy access to services in your Community, School, Family Home or within a Family Hub.

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Welcome to your Family Hub - Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service

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The Family Hub offer we provide and the outcomes we aim to achieve ensures all families within Essex are supported from before children are born up to the age of 19 or 25 for those with Special Educational needs.

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A national charity for children and young people who stammer, their families, and the communities who support them. They provide advice and support for children who stammer, their families and those who work with them.

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Home - Welcome to Action for Stammering Children

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Welcome to Action for Stammering Children. Read more about the Charity, what we do, and how we can help. You will find information about stammering...

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Speech and Language UK - Progress Checker

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Speech and Language UK - Progress Checker

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Our progress checkers will provide short questions you can answer to see how your baby or child is getting on with their talking and understanding of words.

It's based on what we know about how talking and understanding of words develops in babies and children. It's not the same as a standardised measure a specialist would carry out but it should give you an idea of how your baby or child is developing and whether you need some support or advice to help you and them.

Choose the right age and answer the questions, at the end, we will let you know how your child is doing and what help is available if you need it.

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Our progress checkers will provide short questions you can answer to see how your baby or child is getting on with their talking and understanding of words. It's based on what we know about how talking and understanding of words develops in babies and children.

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Speech Link is a package used to identify and support children with developmental speech sound difficulties. Suitable for children aged 4 to 8 years, Speech Link helps demystify speech work and helps support staff work effectively with children’s common speech sound errors.

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Speech Link includes 23 planned and resourced speech interventions covering all common developmental speech errors. Each programme comes with clear instructions on how to help children produce and listen for sounds on their own, in words and in sentences. Over 600+ downloadable resources are included so staff do not have to waste valuable time trying to find the right pictures for each sound. Speech work is always most effective when school programmes are backed up with home practice. Speech Link provides extensive resources for parents including over 30 activities for home practice and information sheets.

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Speech Link includes 23 planned and resourced speech interventions covering all common developmental speech errors. Each programme comes with clear instructions on how to help children produce and listen for sounds on their own, in words and in sentences.

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Essex Library Service | Our services for children and young adults

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Our services for children and young adults

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On this page you will find links to The Bell Foundation’s award-winning EAL Assessment Framework for Schools Primary Descriptors and Tracker which can be used in an EYFS setting

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This resource includes links to the Foundation's award-winning EAL Assessment Framework for Schools, Support Strategies and digital EAL Assessment Tracker for use in EYFS settings

Download resources

Back to all resources

On this page you will find links to The Bell Foundation's award-winning EAL Assessment Framework for Schools Primary Descriptors and Tracker which can be used in an EYFS setting. However, those using these resources should be aware that not all descriptors will necessarily be relevant to an EYFS setting and are advised to use their professional judgement when using the resources.

Also on this page are videos which provide guidance on how to use these resources.

Once you have downloaded the Tracker, please click 'Enable Editing' in order to have full functionality.

How to use the Tracker and Assessment Framework

Please follow the links below and on the right hand side to the guidance document, videos and webinar to learn how to use and apply this easy to navigate Tracker and Assessment Framework in your setting.  The first video in the playlist is an introductory video which provides a short, succinct demonstration of how the digital EAL Assessment Tracker works.  There are additional videos available which provide more detail on individual parts of the tool, but there is no need to watch all of them, or to watch them in order, they are just there to provide help if you need it.

Videos: How to work with The EAL Assessment Framework for Schools
Watch the webinar
If you have any comments, questions or feedback on Version 2.0 of the EAL Assessment Framework or the new EAL Assessment Tracker please email: info@bell-foundation.org.uk including 'EAL Assessment' in the subject line and a member of the team will respond to your enquiry within five working days.

Resource downloads

On the right hand side of this page are a number of documents that you can download for free.

When printing the EAL Assessment Framework - Primary Descriptors document, please print pages 4 to 7 in A3.

Licence information

© The Bell Educational Trust Limited. This resource is free to use for educational purposes.

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EAL Assessment Framework - EYFS - The Bell Foundation

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This resource includes links to the Foundation's award-winning EAL Assessment Framework for Schools, Support Strategies and digital EAL Assessment Tracker for use in EYFS settings Download resources Back to all resources On this page you will find links to The Bell Foundation's award-winning EAL Assessment Framework for Schools Primary Descriptors and Tracker which can be used in an EYFS setting.

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This site offers training, support groups, one to one support, advice before and after diagnosis, and information on co-morbid conditions.

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Autism Anglia enhances the lives of those affected by autism in East Anglia

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This is the main core board. This can be downloaded, printed and laminated. Have the core board around settings and share with home.

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Tips on how to support a child's speech sound development.

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Junior Language Link is an innovative, online assessment and intervention package used by schools to identify and support pupils, aged 7-11 years, with language and communication needs. It is also suitable for leaners new to English.

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Junior Language Link - How to Help with Junior Language

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Junior Language Link - The school based language screening and intervention package for ages 7 to 11

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How to use data from BLANKS assessments to plan interventions for pre-school, Nursery, EYFS and KS1.

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Access resources, activity ideas and advice for teaching communication and language to early years children.

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Access resources, activity ideas and advice for teaching communication and language to early years children.

Communication and language resources

Resources are split into 3 areas based on the educational programmes:
Interactions Exploring language Listening and understanding
These resources will help you when reviewing your current curriculum to make sure you are meeting the requirement of the revised communication and language area of learning.

As you make changes to your curriculum consider what you want children to learn first and plan opportunities for them to achieve this.

Please bear in mind any current covid restrictions and/or advice when undertaking any suggested activities.

What the early years foundation stage (EYFS) framework says about communication and language

The development of children's spoken language underpins all seven areas of learning and development.

Children's back-and-forth interactions from an early age form the foundations for language and cognitive development.

The number and quality of the conversations they have with adults and peers throughout the day in a language-rich environment is crucial.

By commenting on what children are interested in or doing, and echoing back what they say with new vocabulary added, practitioners will build children's language effectively.

Reading frequently to children, and engaging them actively in stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems, and then providing them with extensive opportunities to use and embed new words in a range of contexts, will give children the opportunity to thrive.

Through conversation, story-telling and role play, where children share their ideas with support and modelling from their teacher, and sensitive questioning that invites them to elaborate, children become comfortable using a rich range of vocabulary and language structures.

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Access resources, activity ideas and advice for teaching communication and language to early years children. Resources are split into 3 areas based on the educational programmes: Interactions Exploring language Listening and understanding These resources will help you when reviewing your current curriculum to make sure you are meeting the requirement of the revised communication and language area of learning.

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Early Years Based Information Carrying Word Pack

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Early Years Based Information Carrying Word Pack

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Cost £40 - £85

Early Years Based Information Carrying Word Pack is a rich resource of pictures and interesting activities to promote the vocabulary, speaking and listening of a wide range of children through the principle of Information Carrying Words.

For those unfamiliar with Information Carrying Words, the concept provides a structured framework which helps children increase the amount of information they can remember. At the same time EYBIC will develop their knowledge and language of everyday topics

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£40.00 - £85.00
Digital Features Included
Purchasers of EYBIC Word Pack manual will have full access to EYBIC Digital Resources, including Training Documents, Colour Activity Sheets, Lotto Sheets, Record Sheets and Home Activities.

Please see About the digital resources below for more information

Early Years Based Information Carrying Word Pack is a rich resource of beautiful pictures and interesting activities to promote the vocabulary, speaking and listening of a wide range of children through the principle of Information Carrying Words.

For those unfamiliar with Information Carrying Words, the concept provides a structured framework which helps children increase the amount of information they can remember. At the same time EYBIC will develop their knowledge and language of everyday topics including:

EYBIC Word Pack will help to improve:

Understanding of spoken language

Listening and attention

Auditory sequential memory

Vocabulary development

Expressive language

Social communication skills

EYBIC Word Pack supports Early Learning Goals.

EYBIC Word Pack is very useful for children learning additional languages.

EYBIC Word Pack helps parents, early years practitioners and speech and language therapists to work together to promote children's language and communication skills.

EYBIC Training resources are available online in your digital pack. This is for Speech and Language Therapists to train practitioners so they use ICWs accurately and they and the children can enjoy the wide range of activities and resources.

About the digital resources
This title includes printable resources available to download from this website. You will be required to create an account or log in to purchase access. Access to the digital resources begins once payment has been completed and lasts as long as your Elklan account remains active. Access is for the account holder only and cannot be shared.

How to access
Once purchased and payment has been completed, please log in, choose My Digital Resources from the User menu at the top right, then click the title you wish to access.
If payment on foot of invoice is selected in the checkout (available for organisations only), you will need to contact selina@elklan.co.uk to arrange access.

Order securely online today
We accept Mastercard and Visa, or payment on foot of invoice for organisations

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EYBIC Word Pack | Elklan Training Limited

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£40.00 - £85.00 Digital Features Included Purchasers of EYBIC Word Pack manual will have full access to EYBIC Digital Resources, including Training Documents, Colour Activity Sheets, Lotto Sheets, Record Sheets and Home Activities.

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An introduction to speech, language and communication from Speech and Language UK

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An introduction to speech, language and communication from Speech and Language UK

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An introduction to speech, language and communication

This online short course is free and a great place to start learning about children and young people’s speech and language development.

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Skip to content

Our online short course is free and a great place to start learning about children and young people's speech and language development.

This short course looks at how you can support the development of these skills on a day-to-day basis in your setting, and how to spot children and young people who might be struggling to develop these important skills.

We have re-developed this course so it is now tailored for the needs of practitioners working across all the different education phases. You have the option to access four different pathways - early years, primary, secondary or further education so you can choose which pathway is most relevant to your area of work.

If you work across more than one educational phase, you will only need to complete the phase which you predominately work in as the key principles are transferable across all the age ranges. The course takes approximately half a day to complete.

Please note, we are experiencing a surge in demand for the online short-course, which is causing the application to buffer. If your browser is timing out after signing up, we recommend giving it some time and trying again later. Also, we would recommend accessing the course on a laptop or computer via chrome.

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An introduction to speech, language and communication - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Our online short course is free and a great place to start learning about children and young people's speech and language development.

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How children learn to talk, from birth through to five years old.

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There are lots of ways to be a ‘super communicator’.

Watch families in the film below to see how they use simple techniques to help develop their children's language skills. These techniques can be used at any time during everyday routines and play.

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Ways to be a super communicator with your child

When you get down to your child's level they will be able to see what you are looking at and hear your sentences more easily, and you will be sure that you are talking about what interests them the most.

When you follow your child's lead, you can talk about and describe what they're interested in. This can help them learn words more quickly.

When you describe what your child is doing or looking at, you are using the words they need to talk about what interests them. This can help them link words they hear to their meanings.

When you pause and wait for your child to show you what they are interested in, it gives them time to start communicating or respond to your actions or words. Your child may point, look at an object, or say a word. The words you say will be all about what has interested them, making it easier for them to learn.

When you listen, watch and respond to your child's communication, it helps keep the conversation going about something yourchild is interested in. The more turns you and your child take, the more words and sentences your child will learn.

When you copy what your child says and add a word, it helps your child know they have shared their ideas with you and helps them learn how to make their sentences longer. If your child says 'car', you can reply with 'big car', 'fast car' or 'red car'.

Questions can put pressure on a child to talk when they may not have the language to answer. To help your child, describe what is happening and talk about what you are doing as you and your child do it.

When you do ask questions try to keep them open. That means ask 'what', 'why, 'where', 'who' and 'how' questions that encourage more than just 'yes' or 'no' answers. When you ask open questions, it helps open up the conversation.

Games and words can be more engaging when you use a fun tone of voice, and this will encourage them to interact and communicate with you. The more you communicate together, the more words and sentences they can learn.

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Tips on becoming a super communicator, part of the Early Language Intervention Measure resources from Tiny Happy People.

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Autism Central’s Peer Education Programme offers support to parents/carers and personal assistants of autistic children and adults via:

1. The Autism Central website (https://www.autismcentral.org.uk/hubs/essex-county-council) which has a huge range of information and guidance.

2. Weekly online group sessions

3. 1:1 support calls for more personal support.

This is a free, all age service and does not require a diagnosis. Visit the website to find a wealth of information and to book online and 1:1 sessions

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Universally Speaking - ages and stages of children's communication development for children ages 0 - 5

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Universally Speaking 0 - 5 (Digital Download Only - link in descriptio

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Universally Speaking - ages and stages of children’s communication development for children ages 0 - 5. We have physical copies available of Universally Speaking 5 - 11 and 11-18.

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Early Talk Boost is a targeted programme aimed at 3-4 year old children who need help with talking and understanding words, helping to boost their language skills to narrow the gap between them and their peers. The programme aims to accelerate children’s progress in language and communication by an average of 6 months after 9 weeks.

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Skip to content

A catch-up programme for children aged 3-4 who are struggling with talking and understanding words.

Early Talk Boost is a targeted programme aimed at 3-4 year old children who need help with talking and understanding words, helping to boost their language skills to narrow the gap between them and their peers. The programme aims to accelerate children's progress in language and communication by an average of 6 months after 9 weeks.

Children who are selected to take part in the programme will attend three sessions per week during circle/story time, each lasting 15-20 minutes delivered by an early years practitioner. The sessions include activities that cover the foundation skills in speech, language and communication that children need for learning and understanding new words, as well as having conversations.

Further information can be found in these documents and the introductory video below:

The benefits are:

Supports children who are not achieving their expected levels of progress in their language development

Can be used to demonstrate to Ofsted how you are focusing on developing staff skills

Help to build relationships with parents, by reinforcing the language skills the child learned during the group sessions

Demonstrates the effective use of your Early Years Pupil Premium allocation

An all-in-one speech and language solution package

Can be used by non speech and language specialists

Proven to improve children's language and communication through our evidence base

Designed to be sustainable so you can deliver the programme multiple times to new groups of children

A dedicated team to support you to maximise the impact of Early Talk Boost in your setting

Identify, monitor and track children's progress before and following the programme with the online tracker

There are two parts to Early Talk Boost.

The first is Early Talk Boost training delivered by our regional team of Licensed Tutors. The training is for early years practitioners working with groups of 3-4 year olds in early years settings. Participants will develop the skills and knowledge to understand the rationale behind Early Talk Boost, identify appropriate children, measure their progress and deliver the programme successfully.

The second is the Early Talk Boost Programme Pack. The pack includes everything you need to run the programme. Specifically, the pack includes:

The Early Talk Boost Programme Manual containing detailed group session plans and required resources

10 Jake & Tizzy Complete Sets (Titles 1-8) that have been specifically designed and written for the programme

Early Talk Boost Participant Book

Tool Bag including all of the resources needed for programme activities

Access to the Online Tracker where progress can be monitored to support Pupil Premium

Example resources:

There are two costs to Early Talk Boost.

The Programme Pack costs £550.00 and the cost of training is set individually by our Licensed tutors. If you are a small setting you might wish to consider grouping your staff together with other settings for the training and sharing the costs between yourselves.

See a breakdown of the affordability of Early Talk Boost over time here.

Visit the Find a tutor page to find a Talk Boost KS2 Licensed Tutor near you using the Map. The Licensed Tutor can arrange training and quote the cost of training. You can then purchase the Programme Pack directly on our online shop.

Alternatively get in touch on info@speechandlanguage.org.uk or call 0207 843 2515 to talk to our team about Talk Boost KS2 or to arrange training.

Practitioner and Tutor resources
All the practitioner and tutor resources for our programmes can be found on our new learning portal.

Please register or sign in here.
Programmes tracker
To help you access the online tracker, we have created a number of resources that will show you how to set up your account and get the most out of the tracker.

To Set up an account please visit www.speechandlanguagetracker.org.uk

Please note, that all the PDFs of the trackers can be found in the resources section of the tracker and on the Learning Centre (register using the link given above).

Interested in this programme?

Purchase this programme and others on our shop.

Go to the shop

Our licensed tutors have been specially trained by us to deliver our programmes. Have a look at our map to find tutors in your area.

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Early Talk Boost - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Early Talk Boost - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Essex ActivAte is the name for the government/council funded holiday programmes run by Active Essex. During school half term and holidays, we work with a network of locally trusted organisations across the county to deliver free, holiday clubs to support the physical and mental wellbeing of eligible children. Our activity clubs support school aged children (4-16yrs) who are eligible for benefits based free school meals, or from 'low-income' working families, also a small number of other eligible groups

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Essex ActivAte - Explained! - Active Essex

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Between 2019 and 2020, the Active Essex Foundation took action to help young people in Essex stay active and enjoy nutritious food during the school holidays, reaching over 2000 families in Essex most affected by food insecurity.

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If you're working with children who are learning English as a second language, then these hints and tips might be helpful. You can also download our checklist and action plan to see how you're getting on in your setting.

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If you're working with children who are learning English as a second language, then these hints and tips might be helpful. You can also download our checklist and action plan to see how you're getting on in your setting.

Watch the videos, or read the transcripts below.

Children with English as an additional language - an introduction

Some children will grow speaking one language (monolingual) others children may speak two (bilingual) or three or more languages (multilingual). Some children may also use a sign or symbol language.

Some people worry that when a child learning to speak two or more languages they will be confused or unable to communicate effectively in either language. This is not the case. Children develop fluency in both languages, although they may at times switch between languages in the same sentence. This is called code-switching. Children may also use the languages they speak in different situations e.g. English in a childcare setting and their home, or first language at home.

Being able to speak more than one language is extremely advantageous. It can enhance a child's self esteem and identity, as well as developing and enhancing cognitive and thinking skills.

Some children will learn to speak two languages from birth and other children may learn one language first and then a second language.

It is important for children and families to maintain the language /s they use at home. This supports communication in the family and a sense of identity and community.

Working with children with English as an additional language

Some practitioners may be monolingual. Others may speak more than one language but may not speak the same languages as children. This is not a barrier to working with children with and supporting children with EAL.

One of the most important things is to show you value and respect all languages and that children and families need to feel welcome, valued and respected in the setting.

Work with parents and find out about the languages spoken by the family. Find out the keys words a child uses e.g. mum and dad, toilet. Start to keep a book for each language. This can become a very useful resources in your setting. Put a picture of the word in the book, write word down in the script used by the child. Write down how to pronounce the word. You can also make a picture card / key ring card of important words that children can carry and point to as they need e.g. the toilet, drink, mum.

Pronounce and spell children's names correctly. Ask parents to write their child's name in the script they use. Put this on the child's coat peg. Make some sticky name labels to be put on paintings etc.

Use visual timetables and visual clues e.g. photos on toy boxes.

Use song boxes and activities with visual prompts. Learn and sing songs and rhymes and listen to music in children's home languages

Use story sacks and tell stories with puppets and find stories in a children's home languages.

Remember that children need time. Time to settle, build relationships and time to take in a new language while keeping their first / home language.

Working with parents with English as an additional language

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Videos for practitioners about working with children and parents with English as an additional language.

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LEGO® therapy is a collaborative play therapy (developed by Dr Daniel LeGoff, USA) where children work in pairs or teams of three to build LEGO®models. The concept was originally designed for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but it can also be beneficial for children with other

social communication difficulties and anxiety disorders.

The method aims to increase independent child-led communication. It consists of sustained,consistent turn-taking whilst developing collaboration with peers to achieve a shared task withinset rules…at the same time as having fun!

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https://speechandlanguage.org.uk/educators-and-professionals/resource-library-for-educators/speech-sounds/

Speech sounds are the sounds we use for talking. We use our tongue, lips, teeth, and other parts of our mouth to create different speech sounds.

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Cost £35

Our CuBIC training and accompanying word pack incorporates Information Carrying Word principles to use with curriculum topics (eg History, Geography and Science) for pupils aged between 4-7.

By using the Information Carrying Words (ICWs) concept it provides a structured framework to facilitate the control of the number of words in a sentence that a child has to understand in order to carry out an instruction.

The activities can be implemented with individual children or small groups.

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CuBIC Word Pack | Elklan Training Limited

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Talk Boost KS1 is a targeted programme for 4-7 year old children that need help with talking and understanding words, including children in Reception classes. The programme is delivered in primary schools by classroom teachers and teaching assistants and provides a structured programme that boosts children’s progress in language and communication by an average of 9 – 18 months after a ten week intervention.

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Skip to content

A catch-up programme for children aged 4-7 who are struggling with talking and understanding words.

Talk Boost KS1 is a targeted programme for 4-7 year old children that need help with talking and understanding words, including children in Reception classes. The programme is delivered in primary schools by classroom teachers and teaching assistants and provides a structured programme that boosts children's progress in language and communication by an average of 9 - 18 months after a ten week intervention.

Children who are selected to take part in the programme will attend three sessions per week in small groups, each lasting 30-40 minutes delivered by the teaching assistant. The sessions include activities that cover the key elements of language: Attention and Listening, Vocabulary, Building Sentences, Telling Stories and Conversations. In addition, the teacher will run a weekly whole-class activity and there are activities that can be practiced at home.

Further introductory information can be found in these documents below:

There are two parts to Talk Boost KS1.

The first is Talk Boost KS1 training delivered by Speech and Language UK's regional team of Licensed Tutors. The training is suitable for reception, year one and year two teachers and teaching assistants. Participants will develop the skills and knowledge to understand the rationale behind Talk Boost KS1, identify appropriate children, measure their progress and deliver the programme successfully.

The second is the Talk Boost KS1 Intervention Pack. The pack includes everything you need to run the programme. Specifically, the pack includes:

A Programme Manual containing detailed group session plans and resources required

A Teacher Manual that guides teachers in selecting the right children, tracking their progress and managing the overall operation of the groups

12 Children's Activity books to reinforce what has been taught in the group sessions

Access to our Classroom Checklist, Online Tracker Tool and Child Attitude Survey to measure and analyse progress which supports Pupil Premium

Access to the Communication Cookbook which contains fun activities to support children's language and communication

Talk Boost KS1 Toolkit which contains a set of musical instruments, toys, and activity materials designed to make your Talk Boost KS1 sessions even more convenient.

There are two costs to Talk Boost KS1.

The Programme Pack costs £550.00 and the cost of training is set individually by our Licensed tutors. If you are a small setting you might wish to consider grouping your staff together with other settings for the training and sharing the costs between yourselves.

See a breakdown of the affordability of Talk Boost KS1 over time here.

Get in touch on info@speechandlanguage.org.uk or 0207 843 2515 to talk to our team about Talk Boost KS1, for help with arranging training. You can then purchase the Programme Pack directly on our online shop.

Practitioner and Tutor resources
All the practitioner and tutor resources for our programmes can be found on our new learning portal.

Please register or sign in here.
Programmes tracker
To help you access the online tracker, we have created a number of resources that will show you how to set up your account and get the most out of the tracker.

To Set up an account please visit www.speechandlanguagetracker.org.uk

Please note, that all the PDFs of the trackers can be found in the resources section of the tracker and on the Learning Centre (register using the link given above).

Interested in this programme?

Purchase this programme and others on our shop.

Go to the shop

Our licensed tutors have been specially trained by us to deliver our programmes. Have a look at our map to find tutors in your area.

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Learn more about our programme, Talk Boost KS1, to help support children aged 4-7 behind on their speech and language.

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Talk Boost KS2 is a targeted programme aimed at children 7-10 year old children who need help with talking and understanding words, aiming to boost their language skills helping them to catch up with their peers. The programme aims to accelerate children’s progress in language and communication after 8 weeks.

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Learn more about our Talk Boost programme for children aged 7-10 who need help with talking and understanding words.

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Universally Speaking - ages and stages of children's communication development for children ages 5 to 11.

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Universally Speaking - ages and stages of children’s communication development for children ages 5 to 11. This booklet is free to buy, other than the cost of postage (maximum of 5 copies per customer). Universally Speaking is a series of booklets for anyone who works with children and young people. The booklets show wh

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Birth to 5 Matters:
non-statutory guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Birth To 5 Matters – Guidance by the sector, for the sector

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An object of reference is an object which has a particular meaning associated with it. For example, a fork may be the object of reference for dinner. A bath toy used as an object of reference for bath time.

The object is closely associated with and comes to represent another object, activity, person or event. These objects need to be used consistently to give your child information about what is going to happen and can be used to support the development of a child’s understanding

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Here at Just One Norfolk, we are dedicated to providing children and young people's health services to the community. Find out more about our services

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Supporting the Home Learning Environment with Tiny Happy People 

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Supporting the Home Learning Environment with Tiny Happy People 

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Children's Services Improvement team - LGA

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Supporting the Home Learning Environment with Tiny Happy People (29/01/2025)

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NHS Start for Life - Early Learning and Development

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NHS Start for Life - Early Learning and Development

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90% of your child's brain growth happens before the age of 5. Right from the start, all those little moments you spend together are building their brain.

Every smile, cuddle, chat and game makes a huge difference, helping them learn to communicate, develop confidence and make friends.

Find lots of ideas, easy tips and activities you can do together with your child.

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90% of your child's brain growth happens before the age of 5. Right from the start, all those little moments you spend together with your child are building their brain.

Every smile, cuddle, chat and game makes a huge difference, helping them learn to communicate, develop confidence and make friends.

Find lots of ideas, easy tips and activities you can do together with your child.

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Early learning and development - Start for Life - NHS

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Every smile, chat and cuddle is a great opportunity to help your baby's communication and language skills. Find fun activities and games for your everyday routine.

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We offer FREE interactive courses to help you negotiate these tricky times. If you are a parent, grandparent or caring for a child or young person living in Essex we have support for you.

Courses are delivered online live & face to face at various locations across Essex and some flexible learning classes

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Community and Family Learning

We offer FREE interactive courses to help you negotiate these tricky times. If you are a parent, grandparent or caring for a child or young person living in Essex we have support for you.

Courses are delivered online live & face to face at various locations across Essex and some flexible learning classes. None of the sessions are recorded because our learning is based on lived experience and we promote confidentiality and safeguarding as core values to our courses. You will come to non-judgemental, supportive learning sessions facilitated to support your family's journey.

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Community and Family Learning We offer FREE interactive courses to help you negotiate these tricky times. If you are a parent, grandparent or caring for a child or young person living in Essex we have support for you. Courses are delivered online live & face to face at various locations across Essex and some flexible learning classes.

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Welcome to Inclusive Communication Essex

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Bilingual Families - The Importance of Home Language - TLC

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The importance of home language: A leaflet to share with families translated in over 20 languages

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The importance of home language: A leaflet to share with families translated in over 20 languages

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Why is home language important?

The language you speak with your children is the first language they will learn. It is their first connection to you, to the rest of their family, and to their culture and community. It is the language they first use to learn about the world around them. It is the language that helps them get "set for life" - and you are a central part of that process! This is one of the many ways parents are their children's first teachers.

What are the benefits of using your home language?

Using your home language connects your children to your family. It also provides a connection to your important cultural traditions, and to friends and neighbours who speak the same language. Using your home language allows you to teach your children, and to learn new things together. You can talk about new experiences and words; you can practise
letters and numbers. All of these things are an important part of your children's early learning - and it will be easier and more fun for you if you do it in your most comfortable language.

Will my children get confused using two languages?

Young children can learn two or more languages at the same time. They learn quickly when they have lots of experiences with adults who speak with and listen to them. Sometimes children will combine words or phrases from both languages. That's OK! It may sound as though they are confused, but they are actually learning the rules and vocabulary from both languages and sorting them out in their brains. It is a sign of good learning and thinking.

What can I do at home?

Tell stories and read to your children in your home language. Share rhymes, chants, songs, and poems you learned as a child. Look for fun activities happening in your language, such as story time at your local library, local festivals and cultural events. Look for bilingual books, wordless books, or books in your home language at your nearest public library
For more advice around home languages click the link on the sidebar.

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Bilingual Families - The Importance of Home Language - TLC

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Using your home language allows you to teach your children, and to learn new things together. You can talk about new experiences and words; you can practise

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The Autism education trust have framework documents are great for signposting settings to how to support children with social communication difficulties.

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What are the Framework documents and how can you use them?

These resources are embedded into our Professional Development Programmes and are free to download. They will help you improve the learning and wellbeing of autistic children and young people by supporting you to capture pupil voice, set suitable learning challenges, measure progress and identify areas where you or your setting can make improvements.

You will find a summary of our Framework Documents below.

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The AET Framework Documents can be used by anyone working alongside autistic pupils to support the development of good autism practice.

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You can have lots of fun exploring and making different sounds with children as you play and do everyday activities. You will see examples of these types of activities as well as learning about how we say different speech sounds and some hand signs you can use to go with each sound.

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This webinar explores different types of questions. It’s based on Blank’s Levels of Questioning Framework (Blank, Rose & Berlin, 1978). The aim is to adapt the curriculum to support students with language difficulties and disorders, ensuring their inclusion.  It can help provide support for students in all the key stages.

The webinar is divided into 6 parts. Each part is approximately 10 minutes each – it’s best if you watch each part in order.

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Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust - CYP Website

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Understanding different types of questions - Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust - CYP Website

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This webinar explores different types of questions. It’s based on Blank’s Levels of Questioning Framework (Blank, Rose & Berlin, 1978). The aim is to adapt the curriculum to support students […]

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Word Aware is a structured whole school approach to promote the vocabulary development of all children. Focussed on whole class learning, 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.

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Vocabulary is important the world over. In the US, the Common Core has brought vocabulary to the fore whilst in England the new curriculum specifically highlights the importance of vocabulary. Vocabulary is important from Early Years right through to secondary / high schooling as a result of the vast explosion of topic specific information.

Spoken vocabulary at 5 years impacts on reading comprehension at 15 years of age (Cunningham and Stanovich, 1997). Vocabulary relates to reading comprehension, but impacts equally on curriculum areas that require specific word knowledge such as mathematics and science.

Yet children from the poorest 20% are already a year behind with spoken vocabulary by 5 years of age (Roulstone, Law et al 2010). Without support these children fall further and further behind.

Word Aware is a structured whole school approach to promote the vocabulary development of all children. Focussed on whole class learning, 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.

This approach is full of practical and inspiring ideas that can be easily applied by busy classroom practitioners to develop both spoken and written vocabulary.

Word Aware has been developed by combining up to date research with extensive classroom experience. Stephen Parsons and Anna Branagan have been using this approach and training many practitioners since 2010. The end product is an effective and time efficient method for developing the spoken and written vocabulary of all children. It has been enthusiastically received by class teachers, head teachers, curriculum coordinators, Special Needs co-coordinators, Learning Support Assistants and Speech and Language Therapists / Pathologists.

The Word Aware book was published in 2014. This supports children's vocabulary development from 5-11 years but with simple adaptations it can be successfully used in secondary schools. The Word Aware book is available from routledge.com.

See best practice examples

Word Aware 2: Early Years

Word Aware 2 was published in 2016. It is based on the same principals as Word Aware but it is adapted for the Early Years. It includes the fun and engaging 'Concept Cat' method to teach children early verbal concepts such as 'both, corner, smooth and after'. Word Aware 2: Early Years book is available from Routledge.

Watch Word Aware 2 webinar

Amazon reviews for 'Word Aware'

This is an excellent resource! I am a speech and language therapist and use it in schools. The staff and children really enjoy it and they learn so much. I've seen a child go from not being able to say what he has been learning to being able to describe the Great Fire of London to his parents."
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Excellent product for the price. Full of highly useful and attractive resources, both on paper and on the included disk. Would wholly recommend."
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Reviews for 'Word Aware 2: Early Years'

The book starts with a detailed, interesting and clearly referenced introduction, which would be very useful for teaching staff and is a great refresher for SLTs. I like the fact that the approach is designed for the whole class, so it's inclusive and that there is a strong emphasis on the importance of Adult Child Interaction."
Rhiannan Walton, Therapy Ideas Blog. Full review

In summary, Word Aware is a great resource for anyone working with Early Years children and I would highly recommend it. It has a good mix of theory and practical activities which can be put into practice immediately with education staff and parents."
Emmy Pratt, Speech and Language Therapist. Full review

Word Aware training is available now. Click on the link below to find out more.

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Vocabulary is important the world over. In the US, the Common Core has brought vocabulary to the fore whilst in England the new curriculum specifically highlights the importance of vocabulary. Vocabulary is important from Early Years right through to secondary / high schooling as a result of the vast explosion of topic specific information.

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Non-statutory curriculum guidance

for the early years foundation stage

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Blank's Levels of Questioning are a framework developed to help children develop key oral language comprehension skills. The framework is built around four stages of questioning, which become progressively more complex, moving from relatively simple, concrete questions to more complicated, abstract queries

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Blanks Levels of Questioning - Speech Pathology - Twinkl

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Looking to learn about Blank’s levels of questioning in speech pathology terms? Our handy teaching wiki is here to lend a hand with explanations and advice for parents and teachers.

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This free one-hour virtual session will reveal everything you need to know about BBC Tiny Happy People to feel confident about recommending this service to the families that you work with.

The session will explain Tiny Happy People's approach, show you easily shareable content on the website and highlight the key language techniques and resources that you'll want to share.

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Hundreds of fun, simple activities , organised by age, showing families how to support their children's language development.

There's also child development content , showing parents and carers why supporting language learning is important. It's all about children's amazing brain development and how they understand the world around them.

As well as tips and advice from health visitors, speech and language experts, healthcare professionals and early years practitioners covering a wide range of parenting topics.

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Champions Training for professionals 2024

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Find out how to become a Tiny Happy People Champion as an early years practioner or healthcare professional.

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Understanding and Developing Play skills

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Understanding and Developing Play skills

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Understanding and Developing Play Skills

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We give families the confidence and skills to help their children. If you're concerned about your child's speech and language development, we can help.

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Skip to content

We give families the confidence and skills to help their children. If you're concerned about your child's speech and language development, we can help.

We know that it can be hard to know where to start if you are worried about your child's development. If you think your child is having challenges with talking and understanding words, we are here to help you.

Our free resources and services can help with understanding what to look out for, how to get support and even some simple ways you can help your child at home.

Our progress checker will provide short questions you can answer to see how your baby or child is getting on with their talking and understanding of words.

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Help for families - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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We give families the confidence and skills to help their children. Access our free resources and learn more about ways to encourage children's speech and language development.

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EXTRA support for families (North East Essex)

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EXTRA support for families (North East Essex)

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EXTRA – Support for Families (EXTRA) is here to help anyone caring for children in the Tendring district to meet the challenges of parenting. We offer local opportunities for parents/carers to meet at workshops, informal parent peer support groups and a range of programmes and courses

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Language for Thinking is a structured approach to develop children’s language from the ‘here and now’ to the ‘how and why’.

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The dialogue between teacher and student that underpins learning frequently involves students being asked questions. However, a significant proportion of children find it difficult to understand these increasingly complex questions, including those with autism, social communication disorder, Developmental Language Disorder and learning difficulties. They may be able to understand simple and direct language, but when required to 'read between the lines' they struggle. This difficulty with questions may an impact on their understanding of social situations as well as reading comprehension.

Language for Thinking is a structured approach to develop children's language from the 'here and now' to the 'how and why'. 50 colour drawings form the backbone of the resource. Written scenarios and question sheets are provided so adults can ask carefully promote children's verbal reasoning and thinking skills.

The resource can be used flexibly with whole classes as the basis of a literacy lesson. With small groups or individual children it can be used as an oracy or literacy task.

It is most applicable for use by Class Teachers working with 4-7 year old children as well as Special Educational Needs Teachers, Teaching Assistants, Learning Support Assistants and Speech and Language Therapists / Pathologists working with children from 4 up to 11 years and more.

The Routledge Speechmark website has downloadable resources that accompany the book. You need to own a copy of the book and have it handy, in order to login. Click on 'Sign in or Request access'. Then 'Request access'.

Language for Thinking resources

Amazon reviews for Language for Thinking (original version)

This book is really good to develop listening, explaining and thinking skills.'
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Used to assess and then support children. Teaching Assistants are confident following the structure and have seen development in language already. It was recommended by SALT and a good purchase.'
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Recommended for children with language difficulties by a specialist support teacher, I have used this system with a variety of primary school children both 1 - 1 and in small groups. It is simple to use, easy to monitor and show progress and has helped children's comprehension and inference skills. I would make sure you have a copy in school and have it as an on-going intervention with those children who struggle with understanding, processing, inference etc. Nice assessment to do at the beginning and end of each section to show progress.'
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

View more reviews for LfT at Amazon

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Language for Thinking - Thinking Talking

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The dialogue between teacher and student that underpins learning frequently involves students being asked questions. However, a significant proportion of children find it difficult to understand these increasingly complex questions, including those with autism, social communication disorder, Developmental Language Disorder and learning difficulties. They may be able to understand simple and direct language, but when [...]

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Support for children learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) in the EYFS - DfE guidance

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Support for children learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) in the EYFS - DfE guidance

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Good practice in EYFS

Advice for families

EAL Assessment guidance

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A short training video about Gestalt Language Processing stages 1 to 4

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Speech Sounds - Cued Articulation and phonics

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Speech Sounds - Cued Articulation and phonics

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Here are a series of really short videos which teach staff how to use cued articulation to support the teaching of speech sounds and phonics. These work with children who have speech sound delay, hearing impairment or SEND.

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Cued Articulation

We use a method of visual phonics called Cued Articulation. It was developed by a speech and language therapist called Jane Passey and works to use a hand gesture while you say a sound. Visualising phonics in this way helps the child understand where the sound is made, the shape of the lips as you say the sound, the type of articulation and if the sound is voiced of unvoiced, you will notice some actions use one finger or two fingers. One finger indicated that a sound is unvoiced and two means that it is voiced.

All our children have some level of hearing loss, we feel that this method of supporting phonics allows them to take an individual learning pathway, developing their phonic understanding and applying it in the way that suites them best. For us it is essential to explore phonics through listening and visual support, this ensures that the children understand that each letter has a name and a sound, and that we can listen for the sounds in words. Supporting understanding of phonics in this was allows children to begin to blend and segment for reading and writing. Some of our children may struggle to blend whole words the use of Cued Articulation helps children to identify initial sounds so that they can use their word file dictionaries to locate the words that they want to write.

In addition to this we focus on the three L's: Looking Listening and Lip patterns. Recent research indicates that lip reading is essential in developing good literacy. So we support the use of phonics with a visual cue that cues our children to our lips, so while they are listening they are watching how these sounds are formed at the mouth and supporting the development of their lip reading skills as well as their phonics.

Below you will find links to videos for each of the cues. Each video in set one has the letter sound through cued articulation then letter name through finger spelling and then a word in pictures and signed that begins with that letter. Set two and three focuses on saying the sound with the cued hand shape and movement.

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Phonics through Cued Articulation - James Wolfe Primary School

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We use a method of visual phonics called Cued Articulation. It was developed by a speech and language therapist called Jane Passey and works to use a hand gesture while you say a sound.

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Here is a link to our Page Tiger document where you will find information regarding resources and training opportunities

SLCN Page Tiger

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Visual support is very important to support attention and listening, transitioning between activities and understanding what will happen next. This video goes through various types of visual support from objects of reference, first and then boards, personalised visual schedules and working towards boards

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An introduction to using visual support with children

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A face to face course for parents and carers of children aged 5 or under, who have autism or social communication needs

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Good Beginnings Course | Essex Local Offer

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Our free Walk and Talk trail is a set of cards designed to support parents and carers of 0 to 5-year-olds to talk and play more with their children while they are out and about engaging in their daily routine.

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What is the walk and talk trail?

The free walk and talk trail is a set of cards designed to support parents and carers of 0 to 5-year-olds to talk and play more with their children while they are out and about engaging in their daily routine. The cards have been produced by the National Literacy Trust to support the Start for Life campaign.

Designed to be used in an urban environment, the cards provide a range of tips and activities that can be completed anywhere outside. The aim being to increase the frequency of interactions and enhance the quality of interactions between parent or carer and child.

The cards include:

Information about why it's important to talk with your baby or child.

Guidance and suggestions of things to do and talk about while out and about.

Talking tips to enhance the conversations and interactions parents have with their children.

The cards are supported and extended on Words for Life, the National Literacy Trust's family-facing website. Here, parents and carers can find further guidance and tips on spending time outside with their baby or child, and quick activities to support their conversations and interactions.

Why use the walk and talk trail?

Parents' lives are busy and despite good intentions, between the school run, food shop, and work, the opportunities to engage their child in interactive conversations and play can be limited. In addition, the ability of many parents to interact with their child will be affected by personal experiences and financial pressures. This trail makes it easy to engage with children without having to think about how to do so.

Supporting parents to find more opportunities to interact with their child within their daily routine, and offering guidance on how best to do this, will support the development of their child's language and communication skills.

The ever-changing nature of the outdoor environment provides a rich starting point for these conversations, creating natural opportunities for new vocabulary to be introduced to children.

Access walk and talk trail resources

Download the Early Years Practitioner Guide to the Walk and Talk trail and a printable version of the trail on this page.

Download the digital version of the Walk and Talk cards on Words for Life.

Download translated versions of the trail Words for Life too. The cards are available in the following languages; Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Czech, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu.

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Walk and talk trail for 0-5 year olds | National Literacy Trust

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The set of cards are designed to support parents and carers of 0 to 5-year-olds to talk and play more with their children while they are out and about.

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Neurodevelopmental Pathway ( North East Essex)

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Neurodevelopmental Pathway ( North East Essex)

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Provides telephone support to children and young people with a neurodevelopmental condition and their family

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The Neurodevelopmental Pathway coordinators support children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions, such as Autism, ADHD and Dyspraxia. They provide information, resources and support at any time, including pre and post diagnosis.

Help is tailored to family needs. It could include help to access support with:

managing changes to routine

navigating social situations

understanding sensory processing

navigating transitions at school

explaining other services and how they can help

managing meltdowns and shutdowns

Children and young people up to the age of 25 with a neurodevelopmental condition (pre or post diagnosis) in Colchester and Tendring district.

Contact by phone or email. A professional working with the child or young person can also provide a referral.

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NHS - Neurodevelopmental pathway - North East Essex

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The Neurodevelopmental Pathway coordinators support children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions, such as Autism, ADHD and Dyspraxia. They provide information, resources and support at any time, including pre and post diagnosis. Help is tailored to family needs.

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Development of comprehension skills norm chart

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Development of comprehension skills norm chart

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A simple age matched developmental chart for comprehension skills 18 months - 5 years of age. The green sections are examples of typical skills at the age ans the red sections related to areas which would be a concern and might mean you need to seek advice from a Speech and Language Therapist

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This practical, interactive resource is designed to be used by professionals who work with children and young people who have Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs and Speech,Language and Communication needs.

Gaps in language and emotional skills can have a negative impact on behaviour as well as mental health and self- esteem. Language for Behaviour and Emotions provides a systematic approach to developing these skills so that young people can understand and work through social interaction difficulties

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Essex Short breaks give parent carers and siblings of children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities a break from their additional caring responsibilities, whilst enabling children and young people to meet friends, take part in activities, develop independence and have fun. It is part of Essex County Council's early help approach.

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Short Breaks for disabled children in Essex

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Short Breaks can help you with your caring responsibilities, have time away, find clubs and more.