What is TWiTCH?

Talk With Tales for Children (TWiTCH) is a professional development programmeA programme is a package of support, including professional development, that helps early years educators to improve particular areas of practice and children’s outcomes. for nursery practitioners in both maintained and private, voluntary and independent (PVI) settings. The programme aims to improve the language and communication skills of three- and four-year olds through enhanced, high-quality interactions during story-time, using a dialogic pedagogy approach.

Practitioners deliver nine themed, three-week story cycles using familiar fairy tales in small-group sessions. These cycles include dialogic reading prompts, choice-based reasoning activities, and continuous provision. Targeted support is provided for children identified as being ​‘in need’.

Who is leading this project?

The project is led by Sheffield Hallam University, one of the largest providers of early years education in the North of England. The TWiTCH programme was designed by the early years team at Sheffield Hallam University and delivery will be supported by TWiTCH coaches (experts in the TWiTCH model).

What will this project look like in your setting?

Settings allocated to the intervention groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the intervention group will receive the programme being tested. will receive on-site TWiTCH training along with ongoing coaching and support throughout the programme. Settings will also nominate a TWiTCH champion, who will receive additional 2 hours online training, attend two online network events and work with the TWiTCH coach to support delivery and share learning. Settings in the control groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the control group continue with their usual practices and help provide a comparison to measure the intervention’s impact. They are usually offered a monetary compensation as thanks for their contribution. will continue with their usual story time practice.

TWiTCH Champions would be a respected early years practitioner or teacher who is able to lead change within their setting, collaborate with colleagues and families, and involved in improving outcomes for children across the setting.

Each three-week cycle includes:

• Week 1: Developing children’s understanding of the story and providing opportunities for discussion about characters and events.
• Week 2: Deepening discussion through choice-based activities focused on the moral dilemmas within the stories.
• Week 3: Supporting children to apply their story knowledge in play (e.g. through continuous provision), with additional support for children who need it.

All settings, whether allocated to the intervention or control groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the control group continue with their usual practices and help provide a comparison to measure the intervention’s impact. They are usually offered a monetary compensation as thanks for their contribution., will be asked to complete some evaluation requirements during the project. These include short child language assessments, and staff questionnaires, as well as sharing parent information leaflets and provide data for participating pupils. Exact evaluation requirements will be set out in the information materials if you express an interest in this project. 

All settings will also be compensated for their time spent on evaluation and data collection. Intervention settings will receive a payment of £575 to support staff time for training, Champion responsibilities, and evaluation activities. Control groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the control group continue with their usual practices and help provide a comparison to measure the intervention’s impact. They are usually offered a monetary compensation as thanks for their contribution. settings will receive a payment of £1,000 to support their participation in the trial. 

Who can take part?

To take part, settings must:

• Offer funded places for 3- and 4‑year-olds
• Be located in the North-West, East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England (see Local Authority eligibility list)
• Have at least 15 children aged 3 – 4 for a minimum of 15 hours per week
• Have a minimum of two staff working with preschool cohorts
• The reception/​nursery classroom in the setting is not involved in other EEF projects or EEF Evidence into Action Partnerships during the 2026 – 27 academic year
• Have sufficient space and flexibility to run story time with groups of around ten children
• Not have previously taken part in TWiTCH training

How can you register your interest?

Complete the short form at the bottom of this page.

The first few years of a child’s life are hugely important in shaping their outcomes — both in the shorter term and later in life. TWiTCH focuses on improving children’s outcomes through interactive reading and teaching through collaborative talk. There is strong evidence that interactive reading can improve language and communication in the early years. 

The pilot evaluation of TWiTCH showed evidence of promise, with practitioner data indicating increased knowledge and confidence, as well as changes to storytelling and general practice to support children’s language development. Practitioners observed improvements in children’s language, vocabulary, reasoning, group confidence, and story retelling, which they attributed to the TWiTCH programme.

Early Years communication and language remain a key priority, and this programme addresses the need for professional development and coaching in this area. This efficacy trial will test the impact of this programme in a larger number of settings.

This programme will be evaluated by Durham University through a randomised trial, meaning it will assess the impact of the TWiTCH approach on children’s narrative skills, vocabulary, and self-expression. Settings have a 50% chance of being allocated to either the intervention groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the intervention group will receive the programme being tested. (receiving the TWiTCH programme) or the control groupAs part of a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT), settings will be randomised into either the intervention or control group. Settings in the control group continue with their usual practices and help provide a comparison to measure the intervention’s impact. They are usually offered a monetary compensation as thanks for their contribution., who will continue with usual story telling practice. By taking part, all settings will contribute to understanding the impact of TWiTCH on children’s language development and to strengthening the evidence base for best practice in early years. 

An implementation and process evaluationAn IPE is used to understand how and why an intervention has (or has not) been successful. Data is analysed to explore programme quality, reach, adaptation and differentiation, as well as setting fidelity and responsiveness to the trial design. will be conducted alongside the impact evaluation to explore how settings implement the TWiTCH approach.