Knowledge transfer in action. Early years environment audit tool is set for national trial

An academic’s professional dream to help nursery-age children get the most out of learning outdoors is closer to becoming a reality.

Dr Tanya Richardson, Senior Lecturer in Education (Childhood, Youth and Families) is the lucky recipient of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) to help implement the findings of her PhD, working with a leading UK provider of early years care and education.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships are a UK scheme to help businesses of all sizes develop using the knowledge and expertise of universities. There are around 800 active KTPs across the country, with up to 75% of the costs covered by Innovate UK.

Dr Richardson’s KTP is with Childbase Partnership which has 44-day nurseries in the South of England. They have been rated first for quality amongst early years group providers in 2024 and hold a prestigious Princess Royal Training Award.

Childbase Partnership will conduct a national trial of the doctoral research findings and recommendations and the audit tool – called Environment Audit for Speech and Language/EASAL – in its nurseries over the next 20 months.

Dr Richardson’s PhD explored the role of environments in young children’s speech and language development. If children are behind with their speech and language when they start school, this can impact their future education and other life chances.

The audit tool that was subsequently developed by Dr Richardson specifies a total of 27 crucial elements nurseries should provide to get the most out of early years care and education environments. These include whether there is a quiet space for children to process their thoughts, the ability for children to move around the setting freely, what resources the nursery provides, the use of natural resources and provocations, and if there is an appropriate number of books.

The research will include children using GoPro cameras for researchers to record what they are saying and see if there is a correlation between the quality of those utterances and the quality of the nursery environment, following using the audit tool.

Dr Richardson says: “I’m delighted to receive the Knowledge Transfer Partnership support. When I completed my PhD, I was determined my findings would not gather dust on a shelf and would be used to enhance young children’s speech and language development as widely as possible. It has been a long time getting to this point, but now I feel closer to making my academic dream a reality.

“My PhD focused on four nursery settings but needed wider implementation to more accurately see how the audit tool is working. I couldn’t have got to this stage without the support of the University’s Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise team – who have been with me every step of the way – and Childbase Partnership. We are looking to present a final report and recommendations later in 2026.”

Lorna Wigley, Director of Quality and Training at Childbase Partnership, said: “It is a privilege to be the first Early Years provider to embark on a KTP that leads to better outcomes for children, and we are delighted to be working in partnership with the University of Northampton.

“Our post pandemic focus on speech and language development in Childbase Partnership nurseries and the priority we give to establishing imaginative well-resourced environments and highly trained practitioners aligns perfectly with Dr. Richardson’s approach and our shared aim of achieving outstanding outcomes for children at this critical stage of their development.

“This research project promises to give us the means to close the ‘Word Gap’ and empower children with the vocabulary to express themselves more fully and unlock their access to learning.”

See our website to find out more about Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and contact the team.