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Assessment and language intervention evidence
Learn about the academic research trials and independent evaluations carried out on our assessment apps and interventions to evaluate their effectiveness in mainstream schools. Below are the key findings from these studies providing clear insights into their impact on children’s language and behaviour in schools.
A summary of this research is available on our research overview page.
Early language screening [LanguageScreen] and intervention [NELI] can be delivered successfully at scale: evidence from a cluster randomized controlled trial (2021)
Gillian West, Margaret J. Snowling, Arne Lervåg, Elizabeth Buchanan-Worster, Mihaela Duta, Alexandra Hall, Henrietta McLachlan, and Charles Hulme
The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
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This study provides strong evidence that language intervention delivered in mainstream schools can significantly improve children’s language skills.
- A 10 to 15-minute LanguageScreen test administered by teachers and/or teaching assistants could be used reliably to identify children in need of support with language development.
- Children receiving the language intervention demonstrated significantly larger gains in their language skills compared to the control group.
- The positive effects of intervention were consistent across genders and among English as an Additional Language (EAL) children.
This paper was one of the top ten most downloaded research papers from The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry in 2021
Oral language enrichment [NELI Preschool] in preschool improves children’s language skills: a cluster randomised controlled trial (2024)
Gillian West, Arne Lervåg, Julia M. H. Birchenough, Caroline Korell, Mariela Rios Diaz, Mihaela Duta, Denise Cripps, Rachel Gardner, Caroline Fairhurst, Charles Hulme
The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
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This study evaluated the efficacy of a language enrichment programme, NELI Preschool, delivered to children in the year before they enter formal education.
- LanguageScreen was a valid and reliable assessment of language skills for this young age group.
- Children receiving the language intervention demonstrated significantly larger gains in their language skills compared to the control group.
- The intervention is scalable and relatively low cost
Early language intervention [NELI] improves behavioral adjustment in school: evidence from a randomized trial (2022)
Gillian West, Arne Lervåg, Margaret J. Snowling, Elizabeth Buchanan-Worster, Mihaela Duta, Charles Hulme
Journal of School Psychology
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This study demonstrates that a school-delivered language intervention programme has positive effects on teachers’ ratings of children’s behaviour in school.
- Based on a large randomized controlled trial the research showed greater improvements in the behaviour of children who participated in the language intervention that those who didn’t.
- The study suggests that the NELI programme requirements such as sitting still, listening, and participating in small group and individual sessions, along with rewarding children for participating in the programme, contribute to these improvements.
NELI scale-up impact evaluation (2023)
Education Endowment Fund
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This impact evaluation, conducted by NFER, evaluated the impact of NELI delivered at national scale on children’s oral language skills.
- Children who received the NELI programme made on average the equivalent of 4 months’ additional progress in language skills compared to those who did not receive the intervention.
- Additionally, children with English as an Additional Language (EAL) made the same progress as their peers.
- Children eligible for free school meals made the equivalent of 7 months’ additional progress as a result of participating in the NELI Programme.
Training Teaching Assistants to support early language development (2020)
Education Endowment Fund – Second Effectiveness Trial
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This independent report evaluated the NELI programme under everyday conditions in schools.
- Children who received the language intervention made the equivalent of 3-5 months additional progress in language and reading skills compared to those who did not receive the intervention.
- Children’s word reading skills also improved.
- Additionally, children with English as an Additional Language (EAL) made the same progress as their peers.
- Surveys and interviews revealed that schools found the training and ongoing support provided for NELI to be clear, useful, and sufficiently detailed for efficient delivery of the intervention.
- A follow up study of children from this study showed that the gains in their language and word reading were still present two years after the intervention had finished. Such durable effects of an intervention are rare.
National scale-up of NELI to support COVID-19 education recovery (2021)
Education Endowment Fund (EEF) – Scale Up Trial
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Following successful effectiveness trials, the Department for Education (DfE) provided funds to scale up the NELI programme to over 10,000 schools over two years. Independent evaluations overseen by the EEF explored the success of this large-scale implementation.
- Delivering training online, and at scale, worked well with most school staff feeling prepared to deliver the intervention after training.
- Despite challenges posed by national lockdowns and ongoing disruptions from Covid-19, teachers and teaching assistants involved in the programme reported a positive effect on pupils’ confidence and language abilities, with 70% indicating they would deliver the intervention the following year.
Improving spoken language skills in young children around the time that they start school (2014)
Education Endowment Fund – Initial Efficacy Evaluation
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This independent study evaluated the NELI Programme under regular conditions in schools.
- NELI had a positive effect on the language skills of children in the trial.
- Staff also reported that the programme had a positive effect on children’s confidence, reporting that the small group format, activities covered and the focus on narrative and vocabulary work contributed to this effect.