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<p>The department is investing over £17 million on the Nuffield Early Language Intervention
(NELI), improving the language skills of reception age children who need it most following
the pandemic. In July 2023, the department announced that funded support for the 11,100
schools registered for the NELI programme would continue for the academic year 2023/24.</p><p>The
programme targets children needing extra support with their speech and language development
and is proven to help them make four months of additional progress; this is seven
months for those on free school meals.</p><p>The department estimates that the programme
has screened over 500,000 children in the last three years and supported 160,000 children
affected by the pandemic.</p>
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