An innovative three-year pilot project instigated by Every Child Our Future has shown what’s possible when the third sector, government, and professionals work in partnership to challenge the status quo.

At the heart of the project is a deceptively simple concept: place experienced Speech and Language Therapists (SALT) directly into nursery and early years settings to work alongside teachers. The aim? Equip educators with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to support communication and language development at a universal and targeted level — long before specialist referrals are needed.

“We are delighted with the success of Every Child Our Future’s pilot,” says Julie McAllister, Teaching and Learning Adviser for Early Years at the Government of Jersey. “Expanding this model across early years settings will improve communication, language, and literacy opportunities and outcomes for all young children. I want to thank the charity for aligning so closely with our priorities — and for their continued partnership.”

The project began in 2022 thanks to a generous grant from the Jersey Community Foundation, which helped fund therapist salaries. The project was delivered in five early years settings in Jersey. One of these saw an increase from under 50% to 90% of children achieving age-appropriate language levels after just two academic years.

This is not just about early literacy. Language skills are critical to a child’s ability to communicate, self-regulate, and build relationships — all of which underpin future learning and life success.

The programme’s structure is twofold: firstly, offering universal training and consultation to all educators and secondly providing targeted support to those children who need that little bit extra. The result? Better levels of language for all and fewer children needing to wait for specialist services — more children getting what they need, when they need it.

The concept was originally envisioned over a decade ago by former headteacher Cris Lakeman, who knew there had to be a better way. Once appointed CEO of Every Child Our Future, she put the vision into motion, building the case for a systemic change that integrates the best of educational and medical models.

“This has been a fantastic opportunity for Speech and Language Therapists to work in genuine partnership with education staff,” says the charity’s CEO Cris Lakeman. “We’ve shown that most children’s needs can be met through quality teaching and early identification — but only if staff are properly supported.”

Now, with government funding secured and the support of the Minister for Education and Life- long learning Rob Ward, the path is clear: scale the model, embed it system-wide, and ensure every child enters school with the language skills they need for their future learning.

“Continued and sustained investment by the Government of Jersey will allow this model to evolve and embed, ensuring every child — regardless of their language profile and start in life — has the support they need to thrive,” says CYPES Minister Rob Ward. “I’d like to thank Every Child Our Future for instigating and rolling out the pilot programme. I’m confident better outcomes can be achieved by investing in this new approach.”

The charity is widely known for its reading programmes and early years literacy projects, but what underpins the charity is serious, evidence-based work. The three years of having experienced Speech and Language Therapists in early years settings is proof of concept. Every Child Our Future has demonstrated there’s a better model — and it’s working.

 An independent quality assurance report has also been produced, and can be viewed here.