Talking Communication
An intervention for children aged 4-7 with delayed language,
Talk Boost KS1 narrows the gap between them and their peers
Designed and evaluated by Speech and Language UK, the children's communication charity.
How It Works
Talk Boost KS1 is delivered by a trained education practitioner within your education setting.
1Learn
At least one teacher and one teaching assistant attend the Talk Boost KS1 training.
2Identify
Children are selected for the intervention using the informal assessment provided.
3Deliver
Three 30–40 minute small group sessions per week for 10 weeks with a teaching assistant.
One weekly whole class activity.
4Track
Use the online Tracker to monitor a child or group’s progress, download and print reports to share with colleagues and parents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know to decide if Talk Boost KS1 is right for your school
What does it take to become a Talk Boost KS1 practitioner?
Training takes just one full day.
Practitioners will learn in detail:
- The importance of good speech, language and communication skills
- How to identify children who would benefit from Talk Boost KS1
- How to deliver the intervention using the pre-prepared resources
For London-based settings we may also be able to offer the course split over 4 twilight sessions.
Which children would benefit from Talk Boost KS1?
Talk Boost KS1 works best for children with difficulties in the following areas:
- Difficulties listening/paying attention
- Poor vocabulary
- Difficulties understanding language
- Difficulties organising and using language
- Immature sentences
- Difficulties explaining or describing
- Difficulties taking turns
- Difficulty 'repairing' conversation breakdowns
Can children with identified Special Educational Needs (SEN) benefit? What about students with autism?
Talk Boost KS1 is was not designed for children with diagnosed SEN such as autism and therefore these children will not benefit as much from taking part in the intervention. Under the guidance of a speech and language therapist the Talk Boost intervention groups could be adapted for children with identified SEN – but this would mean that children were receiving a programme based on the Talk Boost Programme.
What will the children learn?
Talk Boost KS1 breaks language and communication down into five component parts:
- Attention and listening
- Vocabulary
- Building sentences
- Telling stories
- Conversations
The 10-week programme has a focus each week, with each focus connected to one of these parts five components.
How do we track progress?
Practitioners are trained to use the Talk Boost KS1 Tracker, which will help you select children for the intervention and to monitor their progress.
The resource pack includes access to Speech and Language UK's online tracker, which will enable you to produce graphs of the children's scores. You can then download and print individual reports for parents and teachers as well as group reports for leadership, governors and commissioners.
Why Choose Talk Boost KS1?
Delayed language can significantly impact on children’s attainment. Many of these children have the potential to catch up but only if they receive timely intervention. Talk Boost KS1 is a structured and robustly evidenced programme for 4-7 year olds that can boost a child’s communication by an average of nine to 18 months after 10 weeks of intervention.
For some schools this could help more than half their learners.
What does Talk Boost KS1 cost?
To get started, settings will need to purchase resources and train at least one teaching pair (teaching assistant + teacher) as Talk Boost KS1 practitioners. Book training or get a quote.
The Talk Boost KS1 Intervention Pack costs £500.00. It can be purchased from the children's communication charity Speech and Language UK and contains the following materials:
- An Intervention Manual containing detailed group session plans and resources required
- A Teacher Manual that guides teachers in selecting the right children, tracking their progress and managing the overall operation of the groups
- 12 children’s activity books, which reinforce what has been taught in the group sessions
- Access to our Classroom Checklist, Online Tracker Tool and Child Attitude Survey to measure and analyse progress (which supports Pupil Premium)
- Access to the Communication Cookbook which contains fun activities to support children's language and communication
- Talk Boost KS1 Toolkit which contains a set of musical instruments, toys and activity materials designed to make your Talk Boost KS1 sessions even more convenient
Contact Us
Questions? Need a Quote? Happy to help!
Call now by clicking the phone icon:
07809 709401
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© 2020
Jaya Simpson BMedSci (Hons), HCPC reg, trading as Talking Communication