NELI is a programme for children in Reception (4-5 years) which has been found to improve children's language and early literacy skills.
A member of school staff (usually a teaching assistant or early years educator) delivers three small group sessions and two individual sessions to a targeted group of around 3-6 pupils for 20 weeks.
NELI is a Nuffield Foundation initiative and was developed by leading academics in the field of language and literacy development. The aim was to design an evidence-based early intervention programme that could be easily delivered by schools to address children’s language needs. Several robust evaluations has led to NELI being the most well-evidence early language programme available to schools in England.
The NELI programme is accompanied by an array of supportive tools: online self-paced training for teachers and TAs, an online delivery support hub, a tablet-based language assessment tool (LanguageScreen) to support with idenitfying pupils to recieve NELI, and the resources and session plans to deliver the programme to pupils.
Registration for schools new to NELI is now open. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis, with registration closing on 30 July 2021. Onboarding will begin in September 2021 and delivery of the programme to pupils in January 2022.
