Nursery World - DfE launches schemes to support early language development

The Department for Education has launched two schemes to help close the ‘word gap' that exists between disadvantaged children and their peers at the age of five.

The aim is to give parents and carers the tools to widen children’s language, vocabulary and social skills before they start school.

It is providing £5m to fund a new scheme to provide practical advice for parents to help their pre-school children with language development and reading at home.

The fund will be run by the Education Endowment Foundation to trial projects to provide practical tools and advice to parents so that they can help their children learn new words through activities such as sharing nursery rhymes and reading.

The Government says that too many children arrive at school struggling with language and social skills, putting them at a disadvantage when they begin their formal education and making it harder for them to master the fundamentals of reading that other children take for granted.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included