Intent

At Alkerden CE Academy Nursery, we believe that communication and language are at the heart of all learning. We aim to provide a language-rich, inclusive environment where every child develops the confidence to listen, understand and communicate effectively. Through meaningful interactions, high-quality conversations and purposeful play, children develop the language skills needed to express their ideas, feelings and experiences, build positive relationships and become successful learners.

Our curriculum is designed to ensure that all children make progress from their individual starting points by developing their attention, listening, understanding and speaking skills. We recognise that communication and language underpin all seven areas of learning and are fundamental in preparing children for Reception and beyond.

Development Matters (3–4 years) states that children will be learning to:

• Enjoy listening to longer stories and remember much of what happens.
• Pay attention to more than one thing at a time.
• Use a wider range of vocabulary.
• Understand a question or instruction with two parts.
• Understand "why" questions.
• Sing a large repertoire of songs and know many rhymes.
• Develop their communication but may still have difficulties with irregular tenses and complex sentences.
• Use longer sentences of four to six words.
• Be able to express ideas and feelings about experiences using talk.
• Be able to tell a long story and talk about familiar books.

Implementation

We develop children's communication and language through high-quality adult interactions, planned experiences and child-initiated play.

Adults will:

• Model rich, ambitious vocabulary throughout the day.
• Engage children in sustained shared thinking, extending conversations through open-ended questions.
• Give children sufficient time to think and respond without rushing or interrupting.
• Repeat, recast and expand children's sentences to model correct language structures.
• Narrate play and everyday routines to expose children to new vocabulary.
• Introduce new words in meaningful contexts and revisit them regularly.
• Encourage children to explain their thinking and solve problems through talk.
• Create opportunities for every child to communicate during play, routines and group times.

Daily opportunities include:

• Storytelling and high-quality book sharing.
• Nursery rhymes, songs and action rhymes.
• Small group language activities.
• Circle times that promote turn-taking and listening.
• Role play and imaginative play.
• Outdoor learning with purposeful language opportunities.
• Talking during snack, mealtimes and daily routines.
• Singing, poetry and rhyme to develop listening and phonological awareness.

Strategies to support Communication and Language

Practitioners will:

• Use commenting rather than quizzing, describing what children are doing to model language naturally.
• Introduce carefully chosen new vocabulary words linked to current learning and books.
• Use Makaton signs and visual supports where appropriate to aid understanding and inclusion.
• Repeat key vocabulary in different contexts throughout the week.
• Use questioning to develop understanding and reasoning.
• Encourage children to retell stories using props, puppets and sequencing cards.
• Provide small-group interventions for children requiring additional support with listening, attention or speech.
• Work closely with families to promote conversation, storytelling and shared reading at home.
• Make effective use of the environment by labelling resources with words and pictures and creating cosy book areas.
• Model active listening by maintaining eye contact, showing genuine interest and responding sensitively.

Support for children with emerging Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)

Where needed we will:

• Identify concerns early through observation and assessment.
• Adapt language by using shorter sentences and clear visual cues.
• Reduce background noise during focused activities.
• Use visual timetables and objects of reference.
• Liaise with parents, carers and external professionals including Speech and Language Therapists.
• Deliver targeted interventions while ensuring children continue to access a rich language environment.

Impact

Children leave Alkerden CE Academy Nursery as confident communicators who are ready for the next stage of learning.

They will:

• Listen attentively in a range of situations.
• Follow two-part instructions independently.
• Understand and answer a range of questions, including "why" questions.
• Speak confidently to adults and peers.
• Use an increasingly wide and ambitious vocabulary.
• Communicate in longer, well-structured sentences.
• Retell familiar stories and discuss books with increasing detail.
• Join in confidently with songs, rhymes and discussions.
• Express their needs, ideas, feelings and opinions appropriately.
• Demonstrate curiosity by asking questions and engaging in sustained conversations.
• Develop positive relationships through effective communication.

Impact is evidenced through:

• Baseline and ongoing observational assessment.
• Progress recorded using Development Matters guidance.
• Children's E-learning journeys.
• Practitioner observations of sustained conversations and vocabulary development.
• High levels of engagement during story times and group discussions.
• Parent feedback demonstrating children's growing communication skills at home.
• Timely identification and successful support for children requiring additional language intervention.

Our children develop the communication and language skills that provide the foundation for literacy, learning across the curriculum and lifelong success.