Summary.48 pre‐school children receiving a four‐month programme administered by mothers at home and organised through the local primary school or nursery were compared with 48 children receiving either the ordinary nursery routine or no intervention between tests. Children receiving the parent programme made significant gains on the Stanford‐Binet and Reynell Developmental Language Scales. Children receiving nursery enrichment, but no parent programme, made significant gains also on the Stanford‐Binet, but not on the RDLS. Children receiving no intervention between tests did not make significant gains on either measure. No relationship was established between Stanford‐Binet gains and soc