Building Children’s Vocabulary

at Home & School

The Oxford Language Report

2023-2024
Highlights for schools
Foreword
By Avnee Morjaria
OUP has long-standing experience of
carrying out research into vocabulary
development and bringing related issues to the fore.
Recently, this research has included a series of Oxford
Language Reports focusing on the reported ‘word gap’
between the vocabulary that children have at their
fingertips, and the vocabulary they need to access
their education. Whilst our new research establishes
that these vocabulary-related issues are ongoing –
and were potentially heightened by the pandemic
– our resolve to address them is strengthened. In
this report, we share perspectives from parents
and teachers about how they approach vocabulary
building, as well as the associated challenges they
face. From these findings, we draw out shared themes
and new insights to identify ways in which we can
work together towards a common aim: supporting
children’s vocabulary development to allow them to
flourish.
This aim is also a Government focus: vocabulary is a
theme that occurs throughout the Department for
Education’s Reading Framework (July 2023); guidance
which sets out to ensure that pupils starting Year
7 have reading and writing skills that allow them
to meet the demands of the curriculum. It comes
as no surprise to see vocabulary highlighted in this
guidance as a central component of the language
skillset that unlocks a child’s educational success. As
we discuss in this new report, it is also a central focus
for many schools: broadening pupils’ vocabulary is a
‘medium’ to ‘high’ strategic priority in 90% of schools,
and a ‘high’ priority in two thirds of Primary schools.
And critically, it is vital that the development of this
fundamental knowledge base is supported across
all aspects of a child’s life – from school to home and
beyond.
This report is further evidence of the need for
every primary school to have a library. School
libraries are essential in helping to fuel a
child’s imagination, build a rich vocabulary,
and give them the literacy skills they need
to succeed in life. When families across the
country may be struggling to afford books at
home, school libraries can be a child’s only
access to books and the joy of reading.
Sinéad Naidoo, National Literacy Trust, Senior
Programme Manager, Raise a Reader
2
Introduction
This short report focuses on supporting children’s
vocabulary development across school and home
settings. To build a strong vocabulary, children need
to encounter a wide variety of words in speech and in
text, across a variety of different contexts, and with
repeated exposure to these words. In the report, we
share findings from new research and highlight how
schools and parents can work together to support
vocabulary building and celebrate a collaborative
approach across school and home.
Methodology
The Oxford Language Report 2023-2024 is based
on surveys with over 800 teachers, parents and
carers in the UK. This research, carried out by
Oxford University Press, offers a voice to those
who provide language input for children in
their daily lives. The report builds on research
presented in previous Oxford Language Reports
exploring children’s vocabulary development.
The Teacher Survey was circulated to teachers
across the UK. OUP received responses from
503 participants. 46% of participants work in the
Primary sector and 45% in Secondary; 4% in the
Early Years sector and 5% in Post-16. The sample
includes Heads of Department/Subject (26%),
class teachers (26%), Deputy/Assistant Heads
(16%) and Subject Coordinators (7%).
The Parent Survey was circulated to UK parents
and carers of children aged 5–16 years, using a
range of online channels. OUP received responses
from 313 participants. 78% of participants are
parents of Primary age children (5–11 years) and
22% have Secondary age children (11+ years). 95%
of participants have children who speak English
fluently. A wide range of other languages are also
spoken, including Welsh, Scots, Spanish, French,
German, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, Romanian,
Polish, Slovakian, Kurdish, Bulgarian, Croat,
Russian, Urdu, Hindi, Sindhi, Panjabi, Bengali and
Gujarati.
Becoming a fluent, skilled and attentive reader
starts at the earliest stages, before children
encounter a book for the first time, partly
driven by the quality of their parents’ talk
with them that expands their vocabulary and
comprehension.
The Reading Framework ( July 2023)
Vocabulary matters
A child’s vocabulary knowledge can have a big impact
on their reading development, later educational
success, and the way they experience emotions.1,2,3
Such a complex matter requires a multi-faceted
approach to ensure every child is equipped with the
vocabulary key to unlock their life-long potential.
A strong vocabulary will set a child up to succeed
at school, empathize with others, and approach
new situations with confidence.
Teachers and parents recognize the
importance of vocabulary
Almost all of the teachers surveyed agree that pupils
with more support for vocabulary development at
home tend to perform better academically at school.
Meanwhile, all the parents surveyed consider it
‘important’ or ‘very important’ for their child to have
a broad English vocabulary, and 93% say they spend
time talking to their child about words and their
meanings.
Teachers are seeing more children falling
behind in vocabulary development
Over half of teachers report that there has been an
increase in the number of children who have fallen
behind in their vocabulary knowledge compared
to previous years. 95% of teachers believe that
school closures and disruptions during the Covid-19
pandemic contributed to a widening vocabulary
gap. Teachers are acutely aware of the difficulty
some children have in building a strong vocabulary,
and they are witness to the effects this can have on
children’s development.
The teachers surveyed report that, on average,
4 out of 10 pupils have fallen behind in their
vocabulary development to the extent that it
impacts on their learning.
Teachers and parents believe schools could
encourage and support parents more
Teachers almost all agree that parents should
be actively involved in their child’s vocabulary
development, and around 85% of teachers agree
that schools could do more to encourage this.
Advice from schools about how to do so would be
welcomed by parents, 68% of whom would like
more guidance on how to help.
3
Connections between school
and home
Despite recognizing the importance of parental
support in a child’s vocabulary development, only
44% of the teachers we surveyed said their school
strategy encourages parents to be involved in their
child’s vocabulary development. 27% of teachers
report that their school provides vocabulary-
focused resources or activities for home, and 48%
have time to talk directly to parents and provide
guidance on vocabulary-building.
Two key opportunities to build vocabulary are:
• reading a variety of texts
• taking part in high-quality conversations.
Over half of schools encourage wider reading
and reading for pleasure to support children’s
vocabulary development at home. This strategy
could be extended to include additional support
on how to talk about words pupils have learned at
school when they get home.
Only 36% of parents consult their child’s teacher
for general guidance on vocabulary building.
Taking an aligned approach
An aligned approach between school and home can
help ensure that children are provided with:
• rich conversations that introduce new
vocabulary and encourage discussions about
word meanings
• engaging, accessible and representative texts
which they want to read
• opportunities to talk about books they have
read and words they have learned, thereby
experiencing words multiple times and in
different contexts
• a reciprocal relationship between school and
home: for example, topics learned at school can
be discussed at home; books enjoyed at home
can be shared and discussed at school
• a community that offers a high-quality language
environment, values talking and reading, and
understands that this is key to children’s wider
development.
Vocabulary building in schools
Whilst teachers individually appreciate the importance
of vocabulary building, research suggests there is
room for more focused and strategic support at a
school-wide level.
Building vocabulary is a priority for most
schools
Broadening pupils’ vocabulary is a ‘medium’ to ‘high’
strategic priority in 90% of schools, and it is a high
priority in two thirds of Primary schools. On average,
two hours of class time are dedicated to vocabulary-
focused teaching per week in both Primary and
Secondary.
However, implementation of a school-wide
vocabulary strategy is low
At the time of surveying, over half (52%) of schools did
not have a school-wide vocabulary policy or strategy
in place, and fewer than 3 in 10 teachers report using
any specific vocabulary-building programmes or
resources in their school.
The approach needs to be school-wide. This is
improving but is not yet strategic enough.
4
What are the challenges
around building children’s
vocabulary
In schools that do have a school-wide vocabulary
strategy, only a third of teachers are satisfied with it.
Lack of time, budget, and staff knowledge
are key barriers
The main reasons for dissatisfaction with or lack of a
school-wide policy are:
• lack of time or competing priorities
• lack of budget
• insufficient staff knowledge or coordination.
There’s a lot of intent but a lack of connected
implementation.
Teachers would like to see more support
from home with vocabulary building
Teachers would like children to carry out vocabulary-
building activities at home at least ‘a few times a
week’; 46% would like this activity to happen ‘most
days’ if not ‘every day’.
However, teachers estimate that only 37% of their
pupils achieve this target. They are aware of the
challenges associated with parental support, which
can be limited by time pressure, lack of vocabulary-
building resources, or being unsure how to help.
Understanding the barriers at home
• 41% of parents report online computer usage or
screentime as the most common barrier to children
building their vocabulary at home.
• Offline activities, hobbies and pastimes are also
cited as barriers; children not being interested in
reading widely is another.
• Lack of time is the major factor preventing almost
half (49%) of parents from helping their child build
and extend their vocabulary.
• Almost 2 in 10 parents cite a lack of vocabulary-
building resources as a barrier.
• A similar proportion report other priorities, and
being unsure how to help, as barriers.
• 62% of parents feel that they do not receive enough
support and guidance from their school.
English skills of parents can be an additional
challenge
Teachers also point to additional barriers to support
with vocabulary, such as low incomes, parents’ own
literacy skills, and family settings where English is not
the first language.
How can schools support vocabulary development?
It is clear that a vocabulary strategy must not be prohibitively expensive or time consuming, but an effective
strategy should be woven into the curriculum at every level and perceived as an integral part of a child’s education.

5 ways to help build vocabulary across your school

1 Consider combining a vocabulary-building strategy with the school’s
reading strategy to create an umbrella language focus. Vocabulary
and reading development are associated skills, so celebrate the fact
that supporting reading means supporting vocabulary too.
2 Ensure a structured progression of vocabulary across the school
and in different lessons, scaffolding new vocabulary. Vocabulary
development doesn’t just happen in English lessons!
3 Dedicated vocabulary tools should form part of a much broader
vocabulary-focused approach within a community that values rich
discussions and reading for pleasure. Vocabulary development
shouldn’t be seen as something that happens using a specific resource
at one point in the week.
4 Include teaching about morphology, etymology and synonyms to provide a higher-
level understanding of language structure. At the transition to secondary, provide
support for new academic language, and vocabulary that is used in different ways
across subjects.
5 Some EAL children may need extra help or take slightly longer to build their
vocabulary networks – after all, they are building vocabularies in two (or more!)
languages.4 At the same time, they will be reaping the rewards of multilingualism in
many ways.5,6,7

5 ways to connect vocabulary building at school and at home

Our research reveals that there is appetite among parents for more
guidance from schools on vocabulary development and potential to
foster a reciprocal relationship between home and school.
1 Suggest simple and accessible activities that can be part of family
life, such as talking together whilst cooking or waiting for the bus:
emphasize close in-person interaction without using screens.8,9
2 Encourage wider reading and reading for pleasure to support
children’s vocabulary development, and consider including
vocabulary as part of the school’s reading for pleasure policy.
3 Better communication and direction are common requests from parents.
Consider using digital tools for connecting with parents, such as a text message
with vocabulary and discussion ideas about a book read in class.10
4 Make suggestions for parents, based on words or topics covered in the classroom.
Avoid giving lists of unrelated words as we build lexical knowledge through context
and language use. Instead, consider providing semantically-related words or
questions to prompt conversation.11 If your school uses a vocabulary-building
programme, be sure to direct parents towards any home-facing resources. This
means that support at home and school can become aligned, allowing children to
benefit from repeated exposures to new words and related vocabulary.12
5 It is important to regard code-switching and speaking languages other than English at
home as valuable linguistic skills, not as barriers to English vocabulary development.5
There may be additional challenges involved in connecting with parents who are not
fluent English speakers, but resources that are accessible to families who speak other
languages may be particularly valuable.

5
5 ways to build a language-loving community
A school-wide focus on language and literacy will help to put these skills
at the heart of the school community and support families along the way.
1 Encourage a two-way conversation about language between school
and home: what are families doing that could be shared more widely,
such as stories, songs and games? These are all valuable experiences
for language learning.13
2 Hold a ‘Word Celebration Day’ in which every child can ‘bring’ a word
to share. This could be their favourite word, a new word they have
learned, the longest word they know, a word from another language
spoken at home, or a regional word used in their local area. Allow
children to explain why they have chosen their word – hearing these
words used in context is really important.
3 Take time to find out about home languages and literacies:
celebrate this diversity and the opportunities it presents, as well as
understanding challenges it might pose.
4 For primary schools, if you already hold ‘How to support your child
with reading’ or ‘Meet the teacher’ sessions, consider adding an
element about ‘How to boost your child’s vocabulary’. Also bear in
mind the best ways to reach parents who cannot come into school.
5 Provide space for reading: offer reading time, such as breakfast or
after-school reading clubs. Hold regular sessions to which families
are invited. If you have a school library, make it an inviting space
offering engaging and representative books. Also, encourage visits to
the local library to enjoy the free events and resources on offer – not
to mention a range of books beyond those a child may have access to
at home or school.

Teachers’ suggestions for vocabulary building activities as part of family life

“Reading every day “Discussing their “Reading TO children

with children and day with them.” – not just listening to
explaining new words.” them read.”

“Doing practical tasks

together (construction,
“Real life experiences cooking, games or
e.g. autumn walks, trips, outdoor adventures).” “Compare the meaning
visit family.” of words in English with
[words in their] own
language.”
“Have dedicated time
to talk – no devices or “Pointing out and
background noise.” discussing effective vocabulary
spotted in everyday situations
e.g. adverts or newspapers, not
just in reading [books].”

6
References
1
Dyson, H., Best, W., Solity, J., & Hulme, C. (2017). Training mispronunciation correction and word meanings
improves children’s ability to learn to read words. Scientific Studies of Reading, 21, 392–407. https://doi.org/10.1080
/10888438.2017.1315424
2
Schuth, E., Köhne, J., & Weinert, S. (2017). The influence of academic vocabulary knowledge on school
performance. Learning and Instruction, 49, 157–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2017.01.005
3
Tan, T. Y., Wachsmuth, L., & Tugade, M. M. (2022). Emotional Nuance: Examining Positive Emotional Granularity and
Well-Being. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 715966. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.715966
4
Bialystok E. Bilingualism in development: Language, literacy, and cognition. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University
Press; 2001
5
Mueller, L-M., Howard, K., Wilson, E., Gibson, J., & Katsos., N. (2020). Multilingualism in the Family and
Child Well-being: a scoping review. International Journal of Bilingualism, 24(5-6), 1049-1070. https://doi.
org/10.1177/1367006920920939
6
Fan, S. P., Liberman, Z., Keysar, B., & Kinzler, K. D. (2015). The Exposure Advantage: Early Exposure to a
Multilingual Environment Promotes Effective Communication. Psychological Science, 26(7), 1090–1097. https://doi.
org/10.1177/0956797615574699
7
Yow, W. Q., & Markman, E. M. (2015). A bilingual advantage in how children integrate multiple cues to understand
a speaker’s referential intent. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 18(3), 391–399. https://doi.org/10.1017/
S1366728914000133
8
https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/english/primary-vocabulary/
9
Madigan S, McArthur BA, Anhorn C, Eirich R, Christakis DA. Associations Between Screen Use and Child
Language Skills: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatr. 2020;174(7):665–675. doi:10.1001/
jamapediatrics.2020.0327
Snell, E.K., Wasik, B.A., & Hindman, A.H. (2019, May). Text to Talk: Effects of a texting intervention on
10

prekindergarten vocabulary. Paper presented at the School District of Philadelphia Research, Policy, and Practice
Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
11
Ashley, K. (2019) Word Power. Singular Publishing
Perfetti C. A., Hart L. (2002). The lexical quality hypothesis. In Vehoeven L., Elbro C., Reitsma P. (Eds.), Precursors
12

of Functional Literacy (pp. 189–213). John Benjamins. https://doi.org/10.1075/swll.11.14per

World Book Day Webinar 2023 – Exploring & engaging families in reading for pleasure
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcoIKJ4Cg1E

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