Efficacy Trial of Early Talk Boost

What is the aim of this research?

This trial will evaluate the impact of Speech & Language UK’s Early Talk Boost intervention on the language outcomes of children aged 3-4 years.  

Who can take part?

Speech & Language UK is recruiting early years settings across England (excluding the North East, North Yorkshire and Cumbria) to take part in the trial. Both Private, Voluntary and Independent (PVI) and maintained nurseries (either stand alone or as part of a Primary School) are eligible. Further eligibility criteria can be found in the Setting staff information sheet.  

What type of research is this?

This is a randomised controlled trial (RCT) where recruited settings will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group (delivering the Early Talk Boost intervention) or the control group (continuing with their usual practice). 

What does participation involve?

Nominated practitioners in settings assigned to the intervention group will receive one day of online training from Speech & Language UK and all the materials they need to deliver the intervention. These practitioners will then deliver three Early Talk Boost sessions per week for nine weeks to at least two groups of children in the 2025-26 academic year (these groups can be run consecutively or in parallel).  

Nominated practitioners in both intervention and control settings will be required to administer a short language assessment to the eligible children in Autumn 2025 and facilitate visits from an NFER Test Administrator to administer two short assessments to selected children in Summer 2026. Nominated practitioners will also be asked to complete an online survey before and after participating in the programme, as well as an online questionnaire about each of the participating children.   

Further details about the programme and what participation involves can be found in the Setting staff information sheet. 

How will you benefit from taking part?

Learning from the evaluation will provide evidence of any impact of Early Talk Boost programme on the language development of children aged 3-4 years and contribute to the education evidence base that informs efforts to improve outcomes for all children.  

Settings allocated to the intervention group will receive fully funded access to the Early Talk Boost training and materials, while control settings will receive funding to access the intervention the following year. Further details on the benefits and financial incentives can be found in the Setting staff information sheet. 

What are the timings for this project?

• Spring 2024-Summer 2025: settings sign up to participate in the research
• Autumn 2025: settings administer the pre-tests to the eligible children, complete surveys, share the necessary staff and child data with NFER and are allocated to either the intervention or control group  
• January-June 2026: intervention settings complete the training and deliver the Early Talk Boost intervention to the selected children; control settings continue with usual practice 
• June-July 2026: NFER Test Administrators visit settings to administer the post-test to the selected children and settings complete surveys  
• May 2027: research findings published in a report on the EEF website.

A detailed timeline of activities can be found in the Setting staff information sheet. 

How do you sign up?

Speech & Language UK are recruiting settings to participate in this trial which takes place between February 2024 and July 2025. To express your interest, please complete the short form. This does not require any commitment and can be submitted by any staff member at your setting. Once submitted, the Speech & Language UK team will be in contact to discuss any questions you might have and to check your eligibility for the programme. If your setting is eligible and wishes to proceed, Speech & Language will send the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for your Headteacher or Nursery Manager to sign.  

Who can I contact for more information?

For further information about the Early Talk Boost programme, please contact the Speech & Language UK team at [email protected].   

For further information about the evaluation please contact NFER at [email protected]. 

Further information on this project, including information sheets and privacy notices can be found at the document links above.