Communication and Language

Listening, Understanding, Speaking – Creating high quality communication opportunities

The materials included on this page have evolved to help EYFS providers to support children in their ongoing development of communication skills and language acquisition.

Cycle of practice development

Example Development Plan

Example Development Plan -Childminders

Communication and Language Audit Tools

This is a series of tools for auditing the language provision in your setting. They form part of the Practice Development Cycle for improving provision for communication and language opportunities provided for children.

Quick communication audit tool

Learning and development 

Enabling environments 

Unique Child 

Positive relationships 

Monitoring a child’s communication and language development

To assess a child’s development with communication and language, first refer to a universal progress assessment such as the ‘Listening’, ‘Understanding’ and ‘Speaking’ aspects of learning in Development Matters.

Support with Speech, Language and Communication Needs

Supporting Parents

The ORIM Framework document below is helpful for structuring supporting parents with their child’s communication, language and literacy. The idea of ORIM, parents providing Opportunities, Recognition, Interaction and a Model of literacy for their children, was created as part of the ‘Raising Early Attainment in Literacy’ project. As a way of involving parents, the model can also be used to support every child’s language and communication development. Working in partnership with parents is an essential component within language skills development.

ORIM Framework

Using the OIRM framework

Additional support

The documents below have been created to support practitioners with ideas for developing practice with communication and language development. There are also relevant websites linked underneath.

Key principles to underpin talk 

How Suffolk EYFS providers seek to support Communication and Language 

Useful websites