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Dear fellow educators,

I'm happy to share insights from a groundbreaking research project conducted by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), aimed at enhancing children's early language and literacy development in the Early Years in the UK.

Overview of the Research

This project, designed to narrow the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers, could provide invaluable guidance for our practice.

At its core, the project focused on fostering communication and language skills among young learners in Early Years settings. It drew inspiration from CLPE's evidence-based Power of Reading program.

This three-year initiative, which concluded in the 2022–23 academic year, engaged 32 schools across three London boroughs. Serving 88 teachers and 1,461 Reception and Nursery pupils, the project targeted schools with high levels of social deprivation.

A cornerstone of this endeavour was CLPE's comprehensive CPD program, coupled with teaching materials tailored to Early Years educators.

Through innovative teaching strategies, teachers were empowered to delve deeply into carefully selected, high-quality texts, nurturing positive reader identities and fostering independent reading habits among children.

Central to the project's success was the book-gifting program, wherein children received monthly deliveries of books both at home and in school, courtesy of a private sector company.

This initiative not only enriched children's personal libraries but also facilitated shared reading experiences in both settings.

The insights gleaned from this project are invaluable, drawn from a combination of: -

• Teacher reflections
• Case studies
• Interviews
• Independent evaluations

Summary of Findings

• Early Years teachers benefit from a specifically designed, resourced and sustained professional development programme aimed at increasing both content and pedagogical subject knowledge.
• Reading, revisiting and responding to a high-quality text over a sustained period improves communication and language development and supports authentic writing processes and opportunities.
• Book ownership increases parental engagement and opportunities for home reading experiences as well as building reader identity.
• Social reading experiences of a wide range of quality texts at home and in school increases children’s enthusiasm and motivation as independent readers.
• Active approaches to storytelling support children to engage independently in imaginative play and storymaking and better understand narrative structures, characters and themes.
• Children are more engaged by high-quality texts with strong human themes, especially those in which they see themselves reflected in the characters or story worlds.
• Poetry is integral to early language and literacy development.

I believe that by tapping into these findings, we can enrich our practices, enhance parental engagement and ultimately, make a lasting impact on children's literacy development. As usual, it is essential to adapt any research to your cultural context.

Let's embrace these findings and continue our journey of empowering young learners through the power of literature.

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Sincerely,