Colourful Semantics

Colourful Semantics cards shown in the correct order: who, doing, what, where and when

Integrated Treatment Services

Navigate Your Way Around The Colourful Semantics Hub

Training, resources and implementation support for schools, MATs, therapists, education teams, parents and carers.

Colourful Semantics is a research-informed approach, supported by a growing evidence base, that is widely used in schools, MATs and therapy services to develop sentence structure, vocabulary, narrative and literacy. For settings ready to move beyond standalone resources, the ITS Connect and Write Framework™ provides a structured route for embedding Colourful Semantics across classroom practice, communication, literacy and writing.

Book Introduction – 2 & 4 December Book In Practice – 25 November Buy downloadable resources Explore the full CS Hub
Live training and dates Buy resources and downloads Assessment Support at Home Connect and Write Full Colourful Semantics Hub

Upcoming live online courses

Book Colourful Semantics training

New to Colourful Semantics? Join our next two-part Introductory Training on 2 and 4 December. Already completed the Introduction Course? Take the next step with Colourful Semantics in Practice on 25 November.

Choose the right course for your experience, with practical support for sentence structure, language development, writing and classroom intervention.

ITS Colourful Semantics Introduction Course, co-developed with Alison Bryan, two-part live online course on Wednesday 2 and Friday 4 December 2026, 8am to 11am UK time each day; attendance at both sessions required

Two-part live online course

Colourful Semantics Introductory Training

Part 1: Wednesday 2 December 2026
Part 2: Friday 4 December 2026
8:00am–11:00am UK time (GMT) on both days · Live online

You must attend both sessions.

Co-developed with Alison Bryan, creator of Colourful Semantics. Learn the foundations, explore sentence structure and apply practical strategies to teaching and interventions.

Book Introduction – 2 & 4 December
ITS Colourful Semantics in Practice live online course, 25 November 2026 with Claire

Follow-up course · Prior introductory training required

Colourful Semantics in Practice

Wednesday 25 November 2026
9:00am–12:00pm UK time · Live online with Claire

Build on your introductory learning with practical strategies for writing, storytelling, independence and embedding Colourful Semantics in everyday classroom practice.

Book Colourful Semantics in Practice

Need training for a whole school, MAT or wider team? ITS also offers tailored training and implementation planning.

Start here

Start your Colourful Semantics journey

Whether you are new to Colourful Semantics, looking for practical classroom resources, or ready to embed the approach through the Connect and Write Framework™, choose the pathway that best matches what you need.

Train your staff with Colourful Semantics live online and whole-school training
01

Train your staff

Build confidence with live online and whole-school Colourful Semantics training.

View training options
Assess pupils using Colourful Semantics baseline assessment tools
02

Assess pupils

Use baseline assessment tools to identify needs, starting points and next steps.

Explore baseline assessment
Deliver Colourful Semantics intervention for speech, language and communication support
03

Deliver intervention

Access targeted intervention packs for speech, language and communication support.

View intervention packs
Embed Colourful Semantics across your setting with the Connect and Write Framework
04

Embed across your setting

Explore the ITS Connect and Write Framework™ for structured, whole-setting implementation.

Explore Connect and Write

Resources and downloads

Explore Colourful Semantics resources

Browse practical Colourful Semantics resources designed to support sentence building, vocabulary, narrative skills, language development and literacy across the curriculum.

Ready-to-use downloads

Find, choose and buy your Colourful Semantics resources

Go straight to the downloadable resources catalogue, or explore the Writing Resource with editable and ready-to-print PDF options.

Browse downloadable resources View & buy Writing Resource

Early years

EYFS Colourful Semantics Resources

Support early language, vocabulary, sentence building and communication skills with Colourful Semantics resources designed for early years and pre-school settings.

View EYFS resources
Colourful Semantics Training

Colourful Semantics Training

Live online and whole-school training.

View training
Colourful Semantics Baseline Assessment

Baseline Assessment

Identify needs and starting points. Supports the statutory English assessment criteria for EYFS and KS1.

View assessment tools

Assess pupils and identify starting points

Colourful Semantics baseline assessment tools can help schools, therapists and education teams understand where pupils are starting from, identify the right support pathway and support the statutory English assessment criteria for EYFS and KS1.

Explore baseline assessment

Deliver targeted intervention

Support pupils with practical intervention packs designed to build sentence structure, vocabulary, communication confidence and expressive language skills.

View intervention packs
Parents and carers accessing Colourful Semantics support at home through a pre-recorded training video

Support at Home

Colourful Semantics support for parents and carers

Once staff have completed Colourful Semantics training and accessed the resources, schools may wish to use their skills and materials to present a Colourful Semantics workshop to parents and carers.

Parents and carers can also access a pre-recorded Colourful Semantics introductory training video, designed to explain the approach and support understanding at home.

Over time, this hub can also signpost any additional home-based Colourful Semantics resources developed for families.

View parent and carer training

Whole-setting implementation

Connect and Write Framework™

The ITS Connect and Write Framework™ is designed for schools, trusts and local authorities looking for a structured approach to communication, language, literacy and classroom implementation, powered by Colourful Semantics.

It supports settings to move beyond one-off resources by embedding a shared approach across staff teams, interventions and everyday classroom practice.

ITS Connect and Write Framework powered by Colourful Semantics
Explore Connect and Write Framework™ View whole-school support

Schools, MATs and trusts

Using Colourful Semantics across a school or MAT?

If you are looking to embed Colourful Semantics beyond individual resources, ITS can support schools, MATs and trusts with training, implementation and wider speech and language provision.

Whole-school implementation

Explore school and MAT support for embedding Colourful Semantics.

CPD and staff training

View training options for education teams and wider staff groups.

Speech and language support

See how ITS supports schools, academies and trusts.

See the bigger picture

Explore the full Colourful Semantics Hub

Explore the full pathway from introductory training and assessment through to downloadable resources, interventions and whole-setting implementation.

Visit the full CS Hub

Keep in touch

Get Colourful Semantics updates and support

Want to hear about new training dates and resources? Subscribe to the Colourful Semantics newsletter below. For questions about bespoke training, services or whole-school support, contact the ITS team directly.

Enquire about school or team support

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Do you need a Colourful Semantics trained therapist in your school?

ITS can provide a therapist trained in Colourful Semantics to help your school set up whole-class approaches, small group work and individual Colourful Semantics support.

We also offer remote support sessions to help schools set up programmes, create resources and put targets and measurable goals into practice. You can find out more about remote SLT support or email us on info@integratedtreatments.co.uk to discuss flexible Colourful Semantics support or wider Speech and Language Therapy input.

We can also deliver Colourful Semantics training for schools and MATs and provide a library of Colourful Semantics resources to support classroom and intervention work.

Like our new Facebook resources page to get all the latest themed resources to use with your classes or therapy groups.

What is the Colourful Semantics approach?

The Colourful Semantics approach was created by Alison Bryan. It helps children develop sentence structure and grammar by focusing on the meaning of words and the role each word plays within a sentence.

Colourful Semantics supports children to build and organise sentences by grouping words into thematic roles and linking each role with a consistent colour cue.

The approach has four key colour-coded stages. There are further stages for adverbs, adjectives, conjunctions and negatives.

Colourful Semantics approach sentence sequencing showing Who, What Doing, What and Where

This is an example of a child working at level 4. The Colourful Semantics approach helps children organise sentences in stages while developing language, vocabulary and grammatical structure. It can support children who are beginning to develop language and children who are confident talkers but need help organising the grammatical content of their sentences.

Colourful Semantics practical resource for sentence building

Who can use the Colourful Semantics approach?

The approach can be used with children with a range of Speech, Language and Communication Needs, including:

  • Developmental Language Disorder or specific language impairment
  • Developmental Delay or Disorder
  • Autistic Spectrum Condition
  • Down Syndrome
  • Literacy difficulties

Why use Colourful Semantics?

Benefits of using this approach can include:

  • Encouraging wider vocabulary
  • Making sentences longer
  • Helping children answer questions or generate responses to questions
  • Developing use of nouns, verbs, prepositions and adjectives
  • Improving storytelling skills
  • Can be transferred to written sentences and written language comprehension
  • Can be carried out individually or in small groups

Colourful Semantics resources and next steps

If you are already using Colourful Semantics, or you want practical tools to help staff get started, explore our paid Colourful Semantics resource bank.

The resource bank includes ready-to-use materials to support sentence building, writing, baseline assessment, curriculum themes and intervention planning across school and therapy settings.

These resources are designed by the ITS Speech and Language Therapy team to help schools and professionals move from understanding the approach to using it confidently in practice.

View the Colourful Semantics resource bank

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