Children's Speech & Language Therapy Information for Schools and Settings

EPUT Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service has adopted The Balanced System™ framework as it offers a practical solution to meeting the needs of children and young people with Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). The framework provides a suite of tools to support the development of a whole system approach to supporting the development of speech, language and communication skills in the population. This includes timely identification, supporting the workforce, including schools and preschool settings, supporting parents/carers, ensuring all environments are conducive to supporting SLCN, appropriate and evidence based assessment and intervention by those best placed to support that child or young person. The Balanced System's framework for effective support and outcomes runs through all aspects of the service’s design and pathways.

Central to this approach and framework is our commitment to work in partnership with settings and schools in the population areas we cover. This is to ensure children with speech, language and/or communication needs (SLCNs) are supported at the correct level with those supporting them being confident, experienced and trained to use appropriate communication support strategies in the correct environment to enable them to reach their agreed outcomes.

EPUT Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service covers populations that fall under two different Local Educational Authorities (LEAs);

• Essex Local Education Authority (for children living in postcode areas SS3 (Great Wakering), SS4 (Rochford and Canewdon), SS5 (Hockley Hawkwell and Hullbridge), SS6 (Rayleigh), SS7 (Benfleet and Hadleigh) and SS8 (Canvey Island)
• Southend Local Education Authority (for children living in postcode areas SS0 (Westcliff on Sea), SS1 and SS2 (Southend), SS3 (Shoebury), SS9 (Leigh on Sea)

The EPUT Children’s SLT Service works to maximise collaboration and partnership work with both LEAs and aims to support settings in each area at a universal, targeted and specialist level to meet the needs of children and young people with SLCNs.

As part of this the EPUT Children’s SLT service supported the concept of Ordinarily Available for settings/schools. The Ordinarily Available approach sets out a common set of expectations about the provision and practice that is expected in all Early Years settings, mainstream schools and Post 16 providers for children and young people with Special education needs and disability (SEND). It is what a young person, parent/carer or family can expect to be “normally" or “ordinarily" available to their child without the need for involving specialist support. 

EPUT Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service will reference Ordinarily Available in reports and provision recommendations and will signpost settings to Ordinarily Available resources when recommending strategies for intervention.

It is expected that schools and settings have considered the Ordinarily Available Universal Inclusive Teaching Framework and the Ordinarily Available Targeted support documents and resources before considering a referral into a Specialist service such as Speech and Language Therapy. We expect settings and schools to evidence on referrals what strategies/advice have already been trialled from Ordinarily Available and the outcomes of these when completing a referral into Speech and Language Therapy.