Oxford Children’s Language: The Word Gap
Research and advice by educators, for educators
Oxford Children's Language conducts research, shares insights, and supports teachers with advancing students' language and literacy development.
Language is at the heart of education, and we are committed to understanding and closing the Word Gap and ensuring young people have all the words they need to thrive at home, in school, and beyond.
NEW REPORT: Download our newest reports looking at building vocabulary at home and at school. Including new research and practical suggestions for teachers and families, these reports continue Oxford's commitment to narrowing the Word Gap.
Highlights for schoolsJoin us as a Word Gap Partner School, and commit to closing the Word Gap.
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Oxford Children's Language Corpus
The Oxford Children's Language Corpus is the biggest living database of children's reading and writing in English. This unique insight into the words children write and read, allows us to:
- Track the development of new vocabulary and the fascinating and creative use of words by children
- Understand the language children need to acquire at each step of their education and how to support them in doing that
- Support teachers and educators with the very best publishing and resources, informed by this insight
Experts and Partners
Our Experts
We partner with leading experts to further our collective understanding of children's language and share insights, advice and practical classroom support to help the education community in developing the language and literacy skills of our young people.
Our Research
A Report on the Art and Science of Levelled Reading Books 2022
Expert articles and case studies about levelled reading, and information on Oxford Reading Levels.
How Schools are Closing the Word Gap: The Oxford Language Report 2021-22
A series of case studies from teachers with a variety of different impactful approaches to improving vocabulary teaching and learning.
Bridging the Word Gap at Transition: The Oxford Language Report 2020
Detailing the impact of a language gap when moving from Primary to Secondary school and the effects of school shutdowns on vocabulary.
Why closing the Word Gap Matters: Oxford Language Report 2018
Understanding the impact of a Word Gap on young people in education and beyond.
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