In every classroom, talk is the invisible thread that connects minds, builds relationships and unlocks learning. Like the iceberg model, the other three language elements, listening, processing and understanding often develop beneath the surface before the child demonstrates their language competency through speaking. 

For us practitioners, fostering spoken language isn’t just an add-on; it is a central act of inclusion, equity and empowerment. Whether you're supporting early learners, multilingual children, or quiet thinkers, developing speaking skills is a powerful way to help every child find their voice and use it with purpose.

Creating a safe space for speaking

Before children can speak with confidence, they need to feel safe enough to try. A classroom that encourages speaking is one where mistakes are treated as stepping stones, not setbacks. As practitioners we can model open communication by using encouraging language, acknowledging effort, and showing vulnerability, such as thinking aloud or trying new vocabulary.

Opportunities to encourage “listening to understand” or “building on each other’s ideas” foster mutual respect. To maximise progress, tools like talking tokens or discussion guidelines can help quieter children take their turn, while it is the role of the practitioner to ensure that no one voice dominates, including their own,

Simple routines - daily check-ins, circle time, or “show and tell” using objects that are important to them can give even the most hesitant children consistent, low-pressure chances to practise speaking.

Talk as a tool for communication, not just performance

In the classroom, talk is often misunderstood as a display of confidence or fluency, when in fact it plays a much deeper role. At its best, speaking is a collaborative tool a way for children to test ideas, clarify thinking, and build shared understanding.

Exploratory talk is a powerful example. When children voice half-formed thoughts aloud, they’re actively shaping their ideas in real time. This kind of “thinking through speaking” is not always polished—but it’s where genuine learning unfolds. Teachers can support this by normalising uncertainty and encouraging language like “I’m not sure, but…” or “I think it could be…”

This exploration is often displayed most naturally through play, where children’s cognitive load is reduced by the freedom to practise words, tone and expression in low-pressure, imaginative contexts. In these moments, language emerges not as a requirement but as a joyful tool of connection, role-playing, and storytelling.

Then there’s dialogue, real, back-and-forth interaction where children listen, question and respond to one another’s thinking. Whether through structured group tasks, peer to peer discussions, or debates, purposeful talk promotes empathy and critical thinking alongside communication skills. During a recent school visit, while interacting with a group of children who were building a bug hotel. One child suggested, ‘We need a roof but what can we use?’ Another commented, ‘Let’s put the leaves there, they might help to keep the bugs warm.’ This kind of authentic, purpose driven talk nurtures the foundations for both deeper social and cognitive growth.

Back-and-forth interactions, as emphasized in the EYFS statutory framework, are vital in helping children practise and apply their spoken language. 

These exchanges, whether during play, conversation, or structured learning, are key to developing vocabulary, sentence structure and the rhythm of communication. They reinforce that language isn’t just a tool - it’s a shared experience. For deeper insights into how schools can build strong communication foundations from the very start, Ofsted’s Strong Foundations in the First Years of School report is an invaluable read. 

Creating authentic speaking opportunities also elevates classroom talk. When children are asked to speak with a real audience in mind, their language becomes more intentional and meaningful. An example might be taking home the class bear over the weekend and recalling experiences on Monday morning or taking turns to be the customer and shop keeper in role play, using a practitioner’s scaffolded language. With this purpose, children who are developing confidence in use of talk can extend their presentation skills and understand speaker purpose. 

With recent changes to the EYFS Profile handbook (2025) when assessing Early Learning Goals (ELG), there is growing recognition that speaking does not always look the same for every child. Assessments now allow for preferred styles of communication, ‘For all ELGs, including Speaking, a child’s established or preferred mode of communication can be used. This includes non-speaking communication, such as signing.’ This makes it even more important for teachers to adapt their established practices. In this way, talk becomes not just an assessment point, but a responsive, inclusive part of classroom culture.

Developing communication and language: speaking skills 

Creating a language-rich classroom

Creating a classroom that hums with spoken, heard, seen and felt language is essential for developing confident communicators. A language-rich environment immerses children in meaningful vocabulary, expressive modelling and frequent opportunities to use talk with purpose.

One of the most effective tools is intentional teacher talk. This includes narrating actions, “I’m picking up the green pencil”, expanding on what children say, “Yes, that’s a big dog—look how fluffy its tail is” and introducing new words in context. When adults stretch conversations, they deepen children’s understanding and show that language is expansive and rewarding.

While open-ended questions like “What do you notice?” or “How did you figure that out?” are essential for encouraging deeper thinking, it's equally important to balance them with attentative comments. Sometimes, simply offering a statement, “You’ve used such rich colour in that picture” can affirm a child’s voice, reduce pressure to respond and invite a more relaxed kind of talk. Balancing different communication styles honours the way children choose to express themselves.

Visual prompts, real objects and themed role-play areas spark curiosity and invite talk. A pretend post office or woodland corner can trigger imaginative dialogue, storytelling and vocabulary use without it feeling like a lesson. Coupled with carefully chosen books, songs and rhymes, children are surrounded by words that are fun, functional and memorable.

Most importantly, in a language-rich environment, talk is not reserved for the confident few. It’s something every child is entitled to. When language is accessible, diverse and celebrated, children not only learn to speak—they learn that their words matter.

Every child has a voice - help them use it

Developing speaking skills in the classroom is about more than teaching children to talk, it is about giving them the tools to think, collaborate, and belong. Through safe environments, meaningful interaction and rich linguistic experiences, we elevate communication from a task to a connection.

Every child has something worth saying. The question is—how will we help them say it?

To further support your team in strengthening children’s speaking skills our early years team have created ‘Terrific Talkers.’ A dynamic CPD programme designed to strengthen practitioner interactions in EYFS settings. Rooted in the EYFS statutory framework, this training explores how high-quality conversations and individualised interactions lay the foundation for language and cognitive development. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your practice, this course offers practical insights and real examples that turn everyday talk into transformative learning.

We know that 21.4% of learners in England are recorded as “having a first language known or believed to be other than English” (DfE, June 2025). Whilst this data is not a measure of language proficiency, with over 1 in 5 learners speaking English as an Additional Language (EAL), diverse multilingual classrooms are the norm for most teachers.

These learners face the dual challenge of learning English, whilst learning through English. 

With 25% of school leaders prioritising adaptive teaching as a whole school priority (Teacher Tapp, March 2025) how is your school enabling all staff to feel confident and skilled in providing support to all, including multilingual learners?

As The Bell Foundation states, “multilingualism is an asset – for the learner, for the school, and for society. But, without effective classroom support, learners that speak English as an Additional Language (EAL) may not achieve their potential.”

What support is there for schools?

Since 2012, The Bell Foundation has worked “to improve policy, practice and systems to enable children, adults and communities in the UK that speak English as an Additional Language (EAL) to overcome disadvantage through language education.” Its work includes direct support to schools, settings and trusts to improve outcomes for multilingual learners. (The Bell Foundation)

A useful starting point is to look at The Bell Foundation’s five principles to guide EAL pedagogy, designed to guide schools as they develop and embed effective provision for EAL learners. By supporting schools to consider what is unique for this group of learners and what they have in common with all learners, these principles support schools to improve outcomes for learners speaking EAL in the classroom and beyond. 

HFL Education is delighted to have recently become a Licensed Practitioner for The Bell Foundation’s Language for Results programme-and we are looking forward to expanding our offer to educational settings.

So, what is the Language for Results programme?

It is a CPD programme that has been carefully designed by The Bell Foundation using current research with a focus on practical strategies, providing staff with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to return to the classroom to support EAL learners.

In 2025-26 we will be offering the following online training courses from the Language for Results programme:

• Adaptive Teaching for learners using EAL -these short twilight sessions for primary and secondary staff will introduce teachers or TAs to easy-to-use strategies to implement immediately.
• Leading a Whole School Strategy for EAL - this practical and reflective session for school leaders will support schools to consider systems, resources and training that promotes improved educational outcomes for EAL learners. Factors affecting attainment, what inclusive pedagogy looks like, and the implications of this for senior leaders will be explored.

In addition, we are offering in-school support for schools, settings and trusts including a whole school evaluation of EAL provision. Through a range of practical activities including learning walks and focus groups, school leaders will be supported to review aspects of provision resulting in an agreed set of recommendations with suggested CPD, guidance and support.

If you would prefer training to be delivered during your INSET days or staff meetings, the Language for Results programme has a wide range of training on offer which we can deliver in primary or secondary settings including An Introduction to EAL Assessment, Teaching Assistants: Working with Learners using EAL, and Supporting New Arrivals who are New to English. If you are working across a trust, you may wish to consider EAL Coordinators: Leading EAL in your school.

The Bell Foundation also has a range of resources which are free of charge to all schools in the UK. These two have been particularly popular with schools we have worked with recently and are well worth investigating:

• EAL Assessment Framework for Schools - supporting early years, primary and secondary schools to measure progression in listening, speaking, reading, and writing and including a digital EAL Assessment Tracker.
• EAL and SEND: Guidance for Integrated Provision in Schools _ supporting schools to consider how EAL learners who may also have SEND receive support that matches need and improves outcomes.

Sign up to their Resource Library to access these and a wide range of other resources  to support adaptations for the classroom from early years to post 16.

If you have any questions or require further support do contact us at EAL@hfleducation.org

“Effective Teaching of EAL Learners” The Bell Foundation

As a primary foundation subject leader, it can be helpful to reflect on how confidently you can say that high-quality (deep, rich and connected) learning is taking place in your subject. Typically, this will include exploring, through monitoring, how much of the intended curriculum your pupils know and can remember and then using that insight to guide your next steps.

Monitoring isn’t a one-off task or a tick-box exercise; it’s part of a continuous cycle of reflection, action, and improvement. However, if you are newer to teaching or leading a particular subject, it can be tricky to know where to start.

This blog introduces some of the key ideas behind monitoring as a cycle and is a practical overview to help you begin thinking about your role in leading learning.

Why might we monitor learning in our subjects?

Monitoring can help us to answer some important questions such as these.

• Is the curriculum being followed and implemented effectively?
• Are pupils learning what we intended?
• Are recent changes/improvements having the desired impact?
• What do pupils know and remember?

If you have recently taken on a new subject, it might be helpful to begin with some simple ‘audit’ monitoring tasks, to help you get to know your subject.

This initial step helps you prioritise and ensures that any goals you set are grounded in evidence, not assumptions.

Creating goals based on evidence

Once you’ve gathered information, the next step is to define your goals. These should be:

• focused: choose one or two priorities at a time
• evidence-informed: based on what you’ve seen, heard, or read
• linked to curriculum intent: aligned with what pupils should be learning.

For example, if pupils struggle to recall prior learning, and you had reassured yourself that the content had indeed been taught, your goal might be to improve retrieval looking at ways and opportunities to do this.

Here are some examples of goals that a subject leader might consider:

• To improve vocabulary learning and use across the subject – so that pupils can explain their learning using the appropriate terminology.
• To develop children’s retention of key learning over time – through emphasising key learning at the point of teaching, ensuring learning tasks focus on the key learning and that retrieval opportunities also allow children to recall the key learning.
• To improve provision and access for all pupils in the subject, including pupils with SEND, using adaptive teaching techniques – so that all pupils can access, achieve and retain the key learning.

From goal to action

Once your goal is clear, break it down.

• What actions will help achieve it?
• Who needs to be involved?
• What support or CPD might be needed?
• How will you monitor progress towards your identified goal?
• What does success look like?

While subject leaders may not be ‘required’ by any outside body to have an action plan, having one can be incredibly helpful. It acts as a working document to track your goals, actions, and progress. It keeps your work focused and strategic. The example below may be of use as a starting point. In this example the monitoring and evaluation is to explore how well the actions being taken are helping us to achieve the objectives set. 

Monitoring tools should be selected based on:
•    the goal you’re working towards 
•    the actions you’ve taken and where evidence/impact will be best seen
•    the evidence you need to gather.
 

This image above shows some of the monitoring tools available to us as subject leaders. Each tool offers a different perspective and will give you valuable pieces of information. Over time, together, they will reveal the bigger picture of your subject at your school. 

Giving feedback and continuing the cycle

Feedback is a key part of the cycle. It should be:

•    timely and focused
•    based on the facts of your findings and original goal
•    supportive and actionable.

Importantly, feedback often reveals new areas to explore. Exploring the results of your monitoring with one or more colleagues might raise questions like:

•    Why is this strategy working well in one year group but not another?
•    What’s preventing pupils from retaining key knowledge?
•    How can we better support learners with SEND?

These insights lead to new goals—and so the cycle continues.

Monitoring is not about catching people out. It’s about understanding what’s happening, supporting improvement, and ensuring pupils get the best possible learning experience in your subject.

As the EEF reminds us, “Implementation is not an event—it’s a process.” So, take your time, be strategic, and remember: every small step you take contributes to a stronger, more coherent curriculum and learning experience for your pupils.

If you would like support with any aspect of leading a foundation subject, contact Claire.watson@hfleducation.org or ben.fuller@hfleducation.org

Further reading and training

EEF: A School’s Guide to Implementation

Ofsted: Inspecting the Curriculum

Subject leaders: Assessing learning and monitoring progress in foundation subjects

The EEF Deployment of Teaching Assistants Guidance report (March 2025) “shows how good leadership decisions, including around effective implementation, can unleash the full potential of this [Teaching Assistant] workforce.” Given the right training and support, TAs are adept at creating pre-teaching, overlearning, and increasingly sophisticated and nuanced adaptations and reasonable adjustments for those who need it most and find learning the hardest. Their dedication and expertise are essential in creating inclusive and supportive learning environments

TAs provide reliable and hardworking support day in day out – both in the classroom and often beyond on playground duty or in after school clubs. For many children - and especially those with SEND - TAs are the consistent link providing familiarity and reassurance, often forming relationships that endure as children progress through their school years.

We have been talking about TAs a lot in the HFL SEND team recently. We discuss the scaffolded support that TAs provide to learners with SEND in most of our school visits; we have been considering the latest research in the newly updated EEF guidance, and SENCOs have told us that across Hertfordshire it is not as easy as it could be to find the most relevant and cost-effective training for TAs.

Despite their importance, it's becoming increasingly difficult nationally to recruit TAs, and high staff turnover rates are a common challenge. In the latest DfE School and College Voice survey report (December 2024), 68% of leaders reporting recruitment difficulties highlighted teaching assistant roles as hard to fill.  Nine-in-ten leaders said they struggled to recruit TAs with the desired level of skills and experience initially, so ensuring a quality induction programme is crucial to ensure that TAs acquire the knowledge and skills they need to be successful.

The EEF guidance includes information about the training and development of teaching assistants:

The DfE research “Use of teaching assistants in schools” (September 2024) described a high level of interest from TAs in training opportunities -with TAs most frequently requesting strategies to support high quality teaching in literacy, phonics or maths (74%) and in training relating to SEND interventions (76%).  The same report found that 50% wanted more opportunities to progress.

Remember, being able to provide high quality professional development is not all about off-site or online training events - structuring and valuing everyday opportunities will provide useful input too such as:

• Providing regular time for teachers and TAs to talk through subject planning, discuss individual written plans, or to give and receive feedback on pupil progress
• Organising shadowing opportunities to gain experience in less familiar year groups, subjects, or interventions
• Sharing an interesting blog or article (a range of short CPD sized blogs are available from HFL Education)

To ensure your TAs have the best start to the new academic year, here are three things you can think about now:

1) If you’re going to have new TAs joining you in September, review your induction programme to ensure you provide the skills, support, and training for them to have success from the start.

Schools are busy places, and we need to invest time in providing a quality induction or risk unintended consequences such as TAs feeling overwhelmed, making mistakes, or taking too long to get up to speed. To support their classroom role, consider this HFL online webinar on “Inclusive Classrooms: the TA’s Essential Guide”.

2) Sign up to our fully funded TA training offer - a brand-new training resource for TAs in primary, secondary and special schools.

Sponsored by HCC, and fully funded for all Hertfordshire schools you can choose to:

• join some or all the live online sessions on Thursday 25th September 2025
• access a recording of some or all the sessions at a more convenient time.
• use the recording as part of an in-school CPD programme throughout the year.

Packed with a treasure trove of helpful ideas and resources we will share our top tips and ideas on how to make classrooms more inclusive. The practical tips align with Hertfordshire’s Ordinarily Available Provision guidance and can be implemented immediately.

(This event has been planned to coincide with National Teaching Assistant’s Day on Friday 26th September – we encourage you to provide cakes for your TAs to enjoy as they listen to their training sessions! 

3) Look out for the Hertfordshire TA Training Directory – providing clear information about TA training and resources across HCC, HFL Education and your local DSPL area.  This new resource will be available from September 2025.

Together we can continue to make sure that TAs within Hertfordshire are given great training and support and valued for the incredible work they do every day. 

Staff wellbeing is crucial to the ongoing success of any school, it can help support with; staff retention, nurturing a strong sense of community in the staffing body, building positive relationships with all stakeholders and contributes positively to school culture and outcomes.

As governors and trustees, we have many opportunities to shape, monitor and maintain a positive wellbeing culture in our settings, none more so than our work on committees that review staff structures and workload, review staff pay and performance and ensuring staff CPD and wellbeing support is appropriately budgeted for and monitored.

We have a duty to ensure that our schools are a safe, inclusive, and supportive place for all staff and other stakeholders. The following are some of the ways governors can support staff wellbeing:

• By ensuring that wellbeing is woven through the actions and ambitions in the school development plan.
• Reviewing policies and procedures through a wellbeing lens, ensuring its embedded practice.
• Ensuring that school leaders model a healthy approach to a good work-life balance, setting great examples for staff to follow.
• Ensure that the staff voice is heard and any suggestions for workload reductions are considered and acted upon appropriately
• Asking school leaders how they are monitoring staff wellbeing and reviewing the impact of any initiatives put in place to improve wellbeing (not forgetting that monitoring the wellbeing of school leaders needs to be a board priority as well!)
• Ensuring that external and school-based support is clearly signposted such as Employee Assistance Programmes or other counselling services such as mentoring or coaching schemes.

Amongst the growing list of link governor roles, both essential and desirable, having a governor focussed on wellbeing either by way of a link role or as a champion for wellbeing is a great step to take. It may be useful to have a role descriptor that could include reporting termly to the board as a standing item, regularly meeting with the staff wellbeing lead or senior leader, ensuring that wellbeing is considered when policies are being reviewed and the school development plan is being drawn up and receiving data on staff absence, staff turnover, staff exit interviews and staff survey results. For the governor or trustee, it would be important to ensure they have the necessary skills to fulfil the role such as being a good listener, empathetic and approachable as well as being able to challenge effectively and supportively and a willingness to engage with training to help with understanding the role. For smaller boards, or boards with a number of vacancies, rather than having a specific link governor, to consider weaving wellbeing into all other link role visits and reports, maybe have a section on the visit report where staff wellbeing observations can be captured.

So, what are the practical steps we can take to help support with staff wellbeing? Whatever steps we do take, we need to have the capacity to deliver and monitor them, if we overburden school leaders and staff with too many it will have the opposite effect of what we are trying to achieve!

In the first instance the school could carry out an audit of staff wellbeing, this can be used to measure future surveys against and will enable senior leaders to work with the board to identify where things are going well and areas for improvement. Use the audit to create a wellbeing strategy with clear and measurable goals and ensure it aligns with the school or academies overall values and vision. Create a culture where staff are recognised and celebrated for excellent work or ideas, this can be done in many ways including celebration boards, staff newsletters, social events and celebrating milestones and achievements. Another key area is staff voice and the encouragement of open communication, this can be achieved in many ways such as suggestion boxes, staff surveys, regular ‘forum’ style staff meetings (occasionally without senior leaders present?), a clear process for staff to raise concerns and ultimately a well signposted whistle blowing procedure. In doing some of these things you are removing barriers to improving staff wellbeing, opening up lines of communication and ultimately ensuring staff are seen, heard and respected. The board needs to ensure it remains strategic in this regard, look to receive regular updates at board meetings on the effectiveness and impact of the agreed wellbeing strategy.

Staff wellbeing isn’t a tick box exercise but an ongoing opportunity, it’s a shared endeavour between senior leaders and the board, and in championing staff wellbeing as a top priority you will shift the dial measurably on staff recruitment and retention. After all a school with a reputation for having a fantastic staff wellbeing culture will help you attract the best staff and in the longer term, with such a supportive culture, you will improve retention as well. View it as a less tangible investment in the future sustainability of your school, where the true dividend will be  the trickle-down effect on pupil wellbeing and ultimately improved outcomes for all the children in your school.

Supporting with staff wellbeing

DfE’s  Reducing school workload - support and practical resources for schools to help reduce workload, including the school workload reduction toolkit

Learn more about the HFL Education Wellbeing Quality mark here , placing health and wellbeing at the heart of the whole school community.

Governance Guide (maintained schools) 4.7 – consideration of staff wellbeing, workload and working conditions Maintained schools governance guide - Guidance - GOV.UK

Governance Guide (academies) 5.3 – working with Executive team; 5.4 - staff wellbeing, workload and working conditions Academy trust governance guide - Guidance - GOV.UK