Talk Boost KS1

For children aged 4-7 with delayed language, Talk Boost KS1 narrows the gap between them and their peers

What is Talk Boost KS1? 

Talk Boost KS1 is a targeted intervention for 4-7 year old children that need help with talking and understanding words, including children in Reception classes. The programme is delivered in primary schools by classroom teachers and teaching assistants and provides a structured programme that boosts children’s progress in language and communication by an average of 9 - 18 months after a ten week intervention.

Children who are selected to take part in the intervention will attend three sessions per week in small groups, each lasting 30-40 minutes delivered by the teaching assistant. The sessions include activities that cover the key elements of language: Attention and Listening, Vocabulary, Building Sentences, Telling Stories and Conversations. In addition, the teacher will run a weekly whole-class activity and there are activities that can be practiced at home.

Further introductory information can be found in these documents below:

• • Talk Boost KS1 FAQ
  • Talk Boost KS1 Overview Presentation
  • Talk Boost KS1 Report (produced as I CAN)
  • Talk Boost KS1 Interim Report (produced as I CAN)

What are the benefits of Talk Boost KS1?

• • Supports children who are not achieving their expected levels of progress in their language development
  • Can be used to demonstrate to Ofsted how you are focussing on developing staff skills
  • Help to build relationships with parents, by reinforcing the language skills the child learned during the group sessions
  • Demonstrates the effective use of your Pupil Premium allocation
  • An all-in-one speech and language solution package
  • Can be used by non speech and language specialists
  • Proven to improve children’s language and communication through our evidence base
  • Designed to be sustainable so you can deliver the intervention multiple times to new groups of children
  • A dedicated team to support you to maximise the impact of Talk Boost KS1 in your setting
  • Identify, monitor and track children’s progress before and following the intervention with the online tracker  

Further information can be found in these documents below:

• • Latest Tracker Figures for Children's Progress
  • Talk Boost and Ofsted

What does Talk Boost KS1 include?

There are two parts to Talk Boost KS1.

The first is Talk Boost KS1 training delivered by Speech and Language UK's regional team of Licensed Tutors. The training is suitable for reception, year one and year two teachers and teaching assistants. Participants will develop the skills and knowledge to understand the rationale behind Talk Boost KS1, identify appropriate children, measure their progress and deliver the intervention successfully.

The second is the Talk Boost KS1 Intervention Pack. The pack includes everything you need to run the intervention. Specifically, the pack includes:

• • 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 to 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

Example resources:

Costs

There are two costs to Talk Boost KS1.

The Intervention Pack costs £550.00 and the cost of training is set individually by our Licensed tutors. If you are a small setting you might wish to consider grouping your staff together with other settings for the training and sharing the costs between yourselves. 

See a breakdown of the affordability of Talk Boost KS1 over time here:

Next Steps

Visit the Find a Tutor page to find a Talk Boost KS1 Licensed Tutor near you using the Map. The Licensed Tutor can arrange training and quote the cost of training. You can then purchase the Intervention Pack directly on Speech and Language UK's online shop. 

Alternatively get in touch on info@speechandlanguage.org.uk or call 0207 843 2515 to talk to our team about Talk Boost KS1 or to arrange training.