Milton Keynes Schools Speech and Language Therapy Service. Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. Additional support for schools

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1 1 Milton Keynes Schools Speech and Language Therapy Service Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust Additional support for schools

2 2 Overview Many schools are now reporting an increase in the number of children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and are exploring additional support for this essential skill area. SLCN is the most prevalent type of Special Educational Need (SEN) identified by primary schools. Government figures from 2005 to 2010 show a 58% rise in those with SLCN as their primary type of SEN. There is a clear link between spoken language skills and outcomes for academic attainment, social/emotional wellbeing and employment opportunities, particularly for those children who experience social deprivation. The Ofsted Inspection Framework now evaluates how all teachers are developing children s communication skills, with a focus on reducing the attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils and those with SLCN. Current teacher standards also require that teachers demonstrate an understanding of and take responsibility for promoting high standards of articulacy, whatever subject they teach (Department for Education, May 2012). In view of this, many schools are striving to develop the communication skills of all children and address the needs of those with SLCN. The Speech and Language Therapy Service (SLT) can help to create a communication supportive environment by developing: A whole school coordinated approach, promoted through Quality First teaching A strong staff knowledge and skills base in relation to language development and SLCN A supportive physical environment and adultchild interactions Additional support for pupils with identified SLCN through catch up and keep up provision Engagement with parents/carers and families.

3 3 Develop your communication tree Nourish the soil by providing the best possible environment Make the roots strong by building the foundation skills for communication Develop a strong core Importance of understanding language Healthy leaves Express ourselves effectively with sounds and words Raindrops Nourishing language development

4 4 A tailored service for you We offer a tailored service, supporting you to meet the needs of your pupils and develop staff knowledge, skills and confidence in working with children, and identifying the needs of children, with SLCN. We can create a whole school coordinated approach. Developing your provision for all children by: Enabling you to audit your current provision and identify areas for development Providing advice and training to staff and parents about basic communication milestones and identification of language and communication concerns Examining the language demands of different curriculum areas and the opportunities to promote communication development within and across the curriculum Differentiating the curriculum in terms of content, presentation and outcome to address a range of language abilities Developing whole school visual approaches, structured vocabulary teaching, narrative skills, phonological awareness training to complement phonics teaching.

5 5 We can provide support to vulnerable children and those with SLCN by strengthening your Catch up and Keep up provision: Training staff to set up and run language groups to develop children s competence in relation to language and communication, such as vocabulary development, attention and listening, giving and receiving instructions, narrative skills, phonological awareness training (as the basis for improved speech production and phonic skills development) Baselining children s communication skills, target setting and monitoring their response to interventions as a measure of progress. We can provide support to children with more severe SLCN who require more individualised approaches by: Supporting the teachers and teaching assistants to differentiate the curriculum according to the child s individual profile of language need Designing and delivering highly individualised strategies and interventions for individual children which may be part of the environment, classroom teaching or delivered on an individual basis Providing highly specialist training around the communication needs of specific children/ groups of children, such as those with Down s syndrome or Autism.

6 6 Benefits The service has a long history of working with schools in Milton Keynes and may already be providing support to pupils in your school from core funding. This well-developed network has led to close, joint partnership working within schools and preschool settings with a sound understanding of the local environment We will handle your SLT staff recruitment, saving you time and money A tailored service - we will support you to meet the needs of your pupils and help your staff develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they individually require, enabling them to more easily identify the needs of your pupils with SLCN You have the freedom to decide the role of the SLT: their working pattern, how they manage their time and their classroom/pupil involvement You will have access to a wealth of communication resources that we have available, saving precious time Benefit from staff that are selected for their clinical expertise and matched to the nature of the role. We carry out rigorous staff checks to ensure the SLT is fit to practice, registered with the relevant professional body and verify their level of clinical expertise and competency We will ensure a comprehensive overview of the child s speech and language needs is carried out, which would normally be very costly

7 7 Be confident that all mandatory training and clinical supervision requirements will be carried out by us. Staff have access to frequent learning and development opportunities and regular clinical supervision to maintain a high standard of clinical assessment and intervention, supported by the latest evidence-based practice and research All our assessments, recommendations and interventions are developed using the latest research and evidence in the management of SLCN in school aged children Your SLT will have access to advice from a network of SLT clinical specialists should the SLT/teacher working in the school require specialist support for a pupil. Some examples of this could include the need for a symbol communication system, working with pupil s with complex needs, eating and drinking difficulties, dysfluency, hearing impairment, autism spectrum disorder, and cleft lip and palate Schools that turn the dial on language and communication are able to turn the dial on a number of key school improvement priorities, from raising attainment to narrowing the gap and improving behaviour. Jean Gross, former Communication Champion, 2012.

8 Contact us If you are thinking about the benefits of additional support in your school and would like to discuss the type of provision to meet your needs, please contact: Amanda Bousaki Senior Manager Tel: Website: Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, Stephenson House, 75 Hampstead Road, London NW1 2PL. Tel: Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust May _MAY2014