NURSERY assistants will be presented with certificates of achievement from the University of York today after helping in a research programme designed to improve the language skills of pre-school children.

Nursery assistants from 13 York nursery schools took part in a 15-week intervention programme between February and June.

The programme, organised by researchers from the university’s centre for reading and language in the department of psychology, was targeted at children who show weaknesses in their speaking skills in comparison with their peers.