EYFS
Intent
To ensure that through quality first teaching all children become confident articulate communicators, enabling them to engage fully with the curriculum and the wider community.
Aims
- To develop skills that enable children to listen attentively in a range of situations, respond to what they hear and give their attention to what others say.
- To develop the skills needed to ask and answer questions about their experiences and in response to stories or events.
- To acquire a wide range of vocabulary that they use confidently to express themselves, develop their own narratives and articulate explanations by connecting ideas or events.
Implementation
- The early years topics encourage awe and wonder, they are led by open ended questions that enable adults to model but also inspire children to ask questions. The topics introduce new vocabulary within each big and weekly question and then then opened ended and investigative nature of the topics promotes exploration of vocabulary through children’s natural inquisitiveness.
- Quality first teaching for all children across all EYFS such as role play opportunities, retelling stories, physical literacy, story mapping, songs and rhymes, daily story times, writing structure, open-ended question prompts for adults, talk boost activities for all children, Elklan trained TAs, opportunities to model high quality language through regular interactions and time for children to talk and have open-ended conversations with adults.
- Outside agencies provide children with new exciting and engaging experiences to help children develop a broader range of vocabulary within a meaningful context.
- We communicate regularly with parents which provides us with opportunities to communicate what is happening in school to encouraged continuation of learning, we provide regular workshops, play and stays and story sharing sessions to support parents understanding of language development in early years. Parents are also invited along on trips which gives them the opportunities for share these key experiences and again promote continuation of learning.
- Home challenges are sent home on a half termly basis and are designed to promote talk and development of vocabulary. Children are to complete the challenge at home and then bring into school for further discussion with staff and their peers.
- Baseline data in EYFS for Communication and Language is monitored to identify children who may need additional support and early intervention and support is put in place for these children with the support of Elklan trained TA's. The two year provision within our Preschool allows for very early identification of SLCN needs for children and support to be put in place as a much earlier stage where needed.
- Children identified with a specific Speech, Language and Communication need (SLCN) will be assessed through Welcomm and referred to our Trafford SLT
Impact
The impact of developing children's communication and language skills within EYFS is that the majority of children in our school, by the end of Reception, are able to;
- listen attentively in a range of situations.
- express themselves effectively, sharing ideas and responding to what they hear with relevant comments, questions or actions.
- listen to others in a conversation and respond appropriately.
- understand and follow instructions containing several ideas or actions.
- respond to their experiences through asking and answering a variety of questions.
- demonstrate a wide ranging vocabulary that reflects their own experiences alongside a broad and balanced curriculum.
Further Information
During the baseline process in EYFS during Autumn 1, any child that is not yet at the expected level for Communication and Language Development will recieve a 'Wellcomm Assessment'. Trafford Speech and Language Support advise Trafford schools to complete this assessment on any child whom displays potential language difficulties. The assessment toolkit provides intervention activities as well as guidance for referral to a Speech and Language Therapist if required.