Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to fund a national programme of roadshows on how to teach language for Reception and Key Stage 1 teachers.

The Department has announced a national network of 32 English hubs which will support schools across the country to develop excellent practice in early language and reading. The Department also runs a programme of phonics roadshows. Schools across the country are supported to provide excellent phonics and early language teaching, as well as to spread good practice. The Department is spending up to £100,000 on a series of up to 24 phonics roadshows across the country between now and March 2019. A new set of early learning goals are being piloted as part of our Early Years Foundation Stage Profile reforms. This includes a greater focus on language and vocabulary development, which is vital in ensuring all children leave reception, ready to thrive at school and beyond.