How Stoke-on-Trent is leading the way with Talking Time

When Thrive at Five first introduced Talking Time into Stoke-on-Trent nursery schools, the need for high-quality language support was clear.

Working in some of the most disadvantaged communities in the country, nursery practitioners were supporting children with significant communication and language needs, alongside challenges with attention, engagement and social interaction.

Before language screening was introduced, one setting estimated that around 80% of children starting nursery were not at age expected levels.

Three years later, those same schools are telling a very different story.

Through a partnership between Thrive at Five, local nursery practitioners and the Talking Time team, the programme has become embedded across the schools. Practitioner confidence has grown, children's outcomes have improved, and Stoke-on-Trent is now leading the way in implementing Talking Time, with the programme expanding into new areas across the city.

What is Talking Time?

Talking Time is a universal oral language programme for children aged three to five, developed by the University College London, the University of Oxford and LINGO.

Running over 20 weeks, the programme is delivered through two 15-minute small-group sessions each week as part of everyday nursery provision. Rather than withdrawing children for targeted intervention, every child takes part. Using shared storybooks, conversation and play-based activities, children develop vocabulary, comprehension, narrative skills and the confidence to communicate with others.

Alongside the sessions, practitioners receive ongoing professional development through twilight workshops, in-class mentoring and reflective video coaching. An experienced mentor works alongside staff, modelling sessions with the nursery's own children before supporting practitioners to develop their own practice.

For Norah Minshall, Early Education Lead and Deputy Director at Thrive at Five in Stoke-on-Trent, this in-setting modelling is one of the programme's greatest strengths.

"There's something very reassuring for the practitioners - the fact that [the mentor] would come in, and it wouldn't go perfectly."

Norah Minshall, Thrive at Five

Why Talking Time?

Before introducing Talking Time, many nurseries were trying to deliver several different language interventions simultaneously. Managing separate programmes for different groups of children created significant organisational challenges for already busy nursery teams.

Talking Time offered something different. Because every child takes part, practitioners could organise groups flexibly, adapt sessions to children's needs and avoid the complexity of managing multiple interventions simultaneously. Although organising groups initially required careful planning, practitioners quickly embraced the programme's flexibility. As Norah explains:

"When something's universal, it doesn't matter if the groups get mixed up. If a child is off poorly, you can catch them up on another day in the week."

Norah Minshall, Thrive at Five

Professional development that lasts

For Norah, Talking Time's greatest strength isn't simply the activities children take part in, it's the way the programme develops practitioners. Rather than attending a one-off training session, staff work in partnership with expert mentors to deliver Talking Time to their children, in their classrooms, before receiving ongoing mentoring and opportunities to reflect on their own practice.

Seeing sessions unfold naturally, including the moments that don't go perfectly, gives practitioners confidence that meaningful conversations don't have to be scripted or flawless. Over time, practitioners develop far more than the ability to deliver a programme. They build a deeper understanding of children's language development that begins to influence every interaction throughout the nursery day. As Norah puts it:

"Speech and language interventions used to happen for twenty minutes. Now what happens all day, every day is like a speech and language intervention because practitioners understand how to move children's language forward."

 Norah Minshall, Thrive at Five

Building a community of practice

From the beginning, Thrive at Five wanted to do more than introduce a programme.

Working across schools from five different academy trusts, the charity created opportunities for nursery practitioners to learn together, share ideas and build a community of practice around communication and language.

As staff changed over time, Thrive at Five continued supporting implementation through additional training, mentoring and shared resources, helping schools maintain consistency while continually refining their practice.

The success of the programme has been built on strong collaboration. Thrive at Five has provided the leadership, coordination and ongoing support, while nursery teachers and practitioners have embraced the programme, reflected on their practice and embedded Talking Time within their own settings.

Seeing the impact

The results have been fantastic. Nearly two thirds of children who were identified as amber at the start of the year progressed to green after Talking Time.

Practitioners have reported noticeable improvements in children's confidence, interaction and engagement, while becoming increasingly confident in their own use of language-supporting strategies throughout the nursery day.

Beyond language

For Norah, the impact of Talking Time reaches far beyond children's vocabulary.

The programme has helped empower nursery practitioners, building confidence in their own practice while giving schools serving some of Stoke-on-Trent's most disadvantaged communities the opportunity to showcase the high-quality work taking place every day.

One participating school that had faced significant challenges is now recognised for its excellent implementation of Talking Time and is supporting the development of future Talking Time trainers. The school's success has also contributed to the approval of a brand-new purpose-built nursery, allowing many more local children to benefit from high-quality early education.

For Norah, this reflects something much bigger than a successful programme. It demonstrates what can happen when practitioners are given the right support, high-quality professional development and the opportunity to succeed.

"What Talking Time has done for those schools is empower them. They're now leading the way."

Norah Minshall, Thrive at Five

Looking ahead

The success of the first seven schools has attracted attention well beyond the original project. Impressed by the outcomes, Stoke-on-Trent's Early Years Board is encouraging more schools across the city to adopt Talking Time. Thrive at Five is now expanding into four additional ward areas, taking the programme to more schools.

The next stage will see experienced local practitioners trained as mentors to deliver Talking Time training themselves, helping more schools implement the programme while maintaining its quality and fidelity.

Together, Thrive at Five, local nursery practitioners and the Talking Time team are demonstrating what is possible when high-quality professional development is matched with strong local leadership and committed practitioners. Their partnership is improving children's communication and language while providing an inspiring example of how Talking Time can be implemented successfully and sustainably across a local area.

Interested in Talking Time for your setting?

Talking Time is delivered in nurseries, schools with nursery provision and childminding settings across the country, supported throughout by a trained mentor who works alongside your practitioners in their own classrooms. To find out more about Talking Time or discuss whether it may be the right fit for you, click below or contact isabel@lingospeech.co.uk

Find out more about Talking Time