Securing Consistency: SAfE Consultant, Jamie Hallums Explains Why Your EYFS Team Needs a Communication and Interaction Strategy

The 2025 Ofsted framework places a more explicit emphasis on communication and interaction in the early years. It is, after all, one of the main mechanisms for teaching younger children. To meet the expected standard, “staff engage in high-quality interactions with children.” This feels achievable, and in many settings I visit as a SAfE consultant, at least some staff are doing exactly that.

Over recent years, I have noticed the quality of adult-child interactions improve, with many schools enhancing practice by adopting the Education Endowment Fund’s ShREC approach. Yet variability within a single setting remains common. One practitioner models rich language, sustains conversations and instinctively judges when to step in or step back. Another supervises with minimal interaction, often without clear expectations or training. Meanwhile, an enthusiastic colleague over-questions, interrupting the natural flow of play. The quality of interaction a child receives can depend entirely on which adult they encounter.

This inconsistency is the critical difference in the framework. The strong descriptor states: “staff consistently maximise opportunities for engaging children in high-quality interactions throughout the day.” Not occasionally. Not by a few. Consistently.

In these settings, staff know the vocabulary they are targeting, with words linked to curriculum plans and opportunities in continuous provision. In water play, every adult reinforces “pour,” “empty” and “full.” In the construction area, they support children to count blocks and model precise language such as “one more,” linked to the maths input earlier that morning. When a child says, “Him falled down,” any adult recasts it naturally: “Yes, he fell down, didn’t he?” These are not isolated strengths but the baseline across the team.

By contrast, provision that needs attention is characterised by “weaknesses or inconsistencies in practice [that] have a negative impact upon children in general or on a particular group.” Here, planned enhancements might not be underpinned by clearly identified target vocabulary, leaving adults without direction on which words to prioritise. Children hear uneven language models: one adult models rich vocabulary while another simply supervises. Quieter children are overlooked, while confident speakers dominate interactions. Over time, these gaps compound, and it is often the most vulnerable learners who are most affected.

Early language disadvantage doesn’t diminish; it grows. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with additional needs already face barriers to developing communication skills. Disadvantaged boys are more likely to fall behind in communication and interaction by age five, and children with weak language at this stage are less likely to meet expected standards in English by the end of primary school. Inconsistent support does not close gaps, it widens them, which is why these children need consistency.

The solution is a clearly defined communication and interaction strategy that ensures all staff work in the same way. It codifies what strong practitioners already do and makes it accessible to everyone. Building on approaches like ShREC, it provides practical, daily guidance.

A simple six-principle framework can bring this clarity:

  1. Comment more, question less – reduce reliance on questioning, particularly for quieter children
  2. Use the ShREC approach – embed an evidence-based interaction model
  3. Teach words practically – introduce vocabulary through real, meaningful contexts
  4. Use key interaction strategies – apply naming, recasting, extending, repetition and commenting consistently
  5. ‘Mathematise’ during play – reinforce mathematical language in everyday moments
  6. Interact, don’t interrupt – know when to step in and when to step back

When applied consistently, variability reduces. Support staff model the same language as teachers. New and agency staff understand expectations from day one. Every child receives high-quality interaction, regardless of who they are with.

However, writing the strategy is only the start. The real work is embedding it into daily practice through training, modelling, coaching and ongoing discussion. A strategy only works when every adult can apply it with confidence.

Embedding a consistent strategy ensures that high-quality interactions are a standard across the setting, driving stronger outcomes for every child. Not only does this reflect Ofsted’s emphasis on “consistently” high-quality interactions, but more importantly, it is transformative for disadvantaged children and those with emerging language needs.

It’s time for leaders to review their approach to communication and interaction in the early years, whether you already have strategies in place or are starting to develop a clear, consistent framework. If you would like to discuss how SAfE can support your setting with this work, please email admin@schoolsallexcel.com

Download our free resource from this blog:
Six Principles for Communication and Interaction: A one-page summary to support consistent practice across your team.

Evidence-based approaches:

Further reading:

  • Fisher, J. (2016). Interacting or Interfering? Improving Interactions in the Early Years. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Blog courtesy of SAfE Consultant, Jamie Hallums.

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