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Children's Speech & Language Therapy Training For Schools

Do you need to develop your universal and targeted offer for Speech Language and Communication Needs?

The local Speech and Language Therapy service is commissioned to provide specific assessment and intervention for children living within the Southend and Castlepoint and Rochford populations via a referral into the service.

However…

We do appreciate that this means that there is a gap when schools or settings may wish to seek general training in relation to speech, language and communication needs.

As a service we aim to provide one solution for schools to support their provision for speech, language and communication needs at every level to maximise the total amount of support available to you.

We are pleased to be able to offer a general training course ‘menu’ which schools and settings can purchase from to meet individual needs at a highly competitive pricing structure, providing value for money from qualified and highly experienced NHS Speech and Language Therapists.

Please see the training menu details on the web page for details of courses offered and for booking information. All queries can be sent to via the training booking form which can be downloaded from this page.

SLT ‘Training Menu’ for Schools

These workshops would be suitable for a twilight or staff meeting session of approx. 1-2hours

Attention and Listening in the Classroom
This course provides a background in relation to the theory and evidence in relation to the development of attention and listening skills for pupils and how this can impact on a child in the classroom environment. The course can be provided for either Primary or Secondary school audiences.

Visual Support in the Classroom
This course is appropriate to both Primary and Secondary school audiences. Providing visual support in the classroom can positively impact on a pupil’s engagement, behaviour, learning and social opportunities. This course provides a background in relation to the theory and evidence and lots of practical ideas for use in the classroom to support your pupils.

Concepts and Comprehension
This course provides a background in relation to the theory and evidence in relation to the development of comprehension skills for pupils, particularly concept knowledge and how this can impact on a child in the classroom environment. The course can be provided for either Primary or Secondary school audiences.

Vocabulary Development
This course provides a background in relation to the theory and evidence in relation to the development of receptive and expressive vocabulary skills for pupils and how this can impact on a child in the classroom environment. The course can be provided for either Primary or Secondary school audiences.

What about Grammar?
This course provides a background in relation to the theory and evidence in relation to the development of grammar skills for pupils and how this can impact on a child in the classroom environment. The course can be provided for Primary school audiences.

Narrative Development
Being able to provide a narrative is very important for pupils to demonstrate their learning. This course provides a background in relation to the theory and evidence in relation to the development of narrative skills for pupils and how this can impact on a child in the classroom environment. The course can be provided for either Primary or Secondary school audiences.

Speech sound Development and support in the classroom
This course is appropriate to both Primary and Secondary school audiences. Providing the correct support in the classroom for pupils with speech sound difficulties can positively impact on a pupil’s engagement, behaviour, learning and social opportunities. This course provides a background in relation to the theory and evidence and lots of practical ideas for use in the classroom to support your pupils.

Social use of Language support in school
Poor social use of language skills can make pupils increasingly vulnerable in their school environment and can often be misconstrued as poor behaviour. This course provides a background in relation to the theory and evidence in relation to the development pragmatic skills for pupils and how this can impact on a child in the classroom environment. The course can be provided for either Primary or Secondary school audiences.

Speech sound development and links with literacy
This course is appropriate to both Primary school audiences. Providing the correct support in the classroom for pupils with speech sound difficulties can positively impact on a pupil’s engagement, behaviour, learning and social opportunities. This course provides a background in relation to the theory and evidence and how this links with literacy development. Lots of practical ideas for use in the classroom to support your pupils are provided.

Specialist courses
We can offer specific courses which cover the theory and evidence base in relation to speech, language and communication development related to specific presentations and diagnoses. All the courses have practical advice and interactive teaching to help embed the information provided. The specialist courses can cover hearing impairment. Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, Use of Alternative and Augmentative Communication systems, Stammering, Selective Mutism and Dyspraxia.

Whole day training courses suitable for INSET /teacher training days

ELKLAN courses – please enquire as to the full list available
Speech sound development and links with literacy

1-2 hours each, pick ‘n’ mix, it is possible to provide up to 3 per whole day.

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. 

Provides guidance and links to resources recommended and quality assured by Speech and Language Therapy Services for the universal support of all pupils in settings. Visit the The Ordinarily Available (OA) for useful documents and links or scan the QR code. 

SEND guidance webpage QR code

should be used by settings in addition to and NOT instead of the Ordinarily Available Inclusive Teaching Framework for pupils where the advice at a universal level has not been sufficient to meet that pupil’s needs and more targeted strategies might be needed. Visit the Essex County Council Education webpage or scan the below QR code for a useful document with embedded advice and resources.

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.

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