Talking Time – trial

University of Oxford
Implementation costThe cost estimates are based on the average cost of delivering the intervention.
Evidence strengthThis rating provides an overall estimate of the robustness of the evidence, to help support professional decision-making in schools.
Impact (months)The impact measure shows the number of additional months of progress made, on average, by children and young people who received the intervention, compared to similar children and young people who did not.
+1
months
Project info

Independent Evaluator

NIESR logo
NIESR

Trial to test the impact of an oral language programme for 3 – 5 year-old children and staff in their early years settings.

Pupils: 2600 Schools: 130 Grant: £274,775
Key Stage: EY Type of Trial: Efficacy level evidence
Completed July 2026

The project

Talking Time is a universal intervention that aims to improve the oral language skills of children aged 3 to 5 through structured activities for children and professional development for staff.

It supports early years educators to deliver two 15-minute small-group sessions per week for 20 weeks. Sessions include shared storytelling, playful language games and narrative discussions of familiar routines.

The programme is designed to be adapted for individual children and settings and embedded into long-term routine practice.

This report was updated in October 2026 to reflect minor wording changes.

Outcome/​Group
ImpactThe size of the difference between pupils in this trial and other pupils
SecurityHow confident are we in this result?
Language development
+1
Months' progress
(Effect size 0.08)
Language development, EYPP-eligible children
+2
Months' progress
(Effect size 0.1)
N/A

EEF summary

As part of the Department for Education’s Early Years Recovery Programme, the EEF worked with Stronger Practice Hubs across England to fund early years settings’ access to evidence-informed programmes and study the programmes’ influence on practice and children’s outcomes. This initiative aimed to support education recovery following the pandemic, while also developing our understanding of effective professional development in the early years. The EEF worked with the Liverpool City Region and Beyond, A Brighter Start, Thrive Together and REACHout Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs to fund settings’ access to Talking Time and evaluate the programme.

This evaluation found that children in early years settings that delivered Talking Time made one month of additional progress in language development, on average, compared with children in other settings. This result has a high security rating, meaning we have high confidence in the finding.

Children eligible for the Early Years Pupil Premium and children with English as an additional language in Talking Time settings made approximately two additional months of progress in language development compared to their peers in other settings. There is more uncertainty about the findings for these groups of children, because of the smaller numbers of children included in these analyses.

Early years educators who took part in Talking Time engaged well with the professional development activities and expressed strong enthusiasm for the programme. The Talking Time sessions were also well attended by children and practitioners reported that they observed notable improvements in children’s language skills.

As a result of this evidence, Talking Time is one of the EEF’s Promising Programmes. The EEF is exploring the feasibility of evaluating the programme in a larger number of early years settings through an effectiveness trial. 

Were the schools in the trial similar to my school?

Project type: Efficacy level evidenceKey Stage: Early YearsSubject: Speech and language
  • There were 123 early years settings in this efficacy trial. 

  • The settings were recruited from the North West of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, the West Midlands, the East of England and London. 

  • The majority of the settings in the trial were school-based nurseries. 19% of the settings were Private, Voluntary and Independent Settings. 

  • 19% of children in the trial were eligible for the Early Years Pupil Premium and 34% had English as an additional language. These figures are slightly higher than the national average among early years settings in England.

Could I implement this in my school?

Delivered by: Early YearsParticipant group: Whole ClassIntervention length: 20 week(s)
  • The core resources required to deliver Talking Time are provided as part of the programme.
  • The main challenges to implementing Talking Time and sustaining its delivery in the longer term were staff capacity and staff turnover.
  • Settings can access the Talking Time programme through LINGO www.lingospeech.co.uk/early-years-interventions/talking-time

How much will it cost?

The average cost of Talking Time for one setting was around £3,505, or £64 per child per year when averaged over three years. This estimate includes 20 hours of staff time per setting to attend Talking Time training. This estimate reflects the costs of the programme as it was implemented in the study. The project team anticipates that future delivery costs outside of the trial will be lower.

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