Community Services –Ealing

Schools Service

Carmelita House, 21-22 The Mall, Ealing, W5 2PJ

TEL: 8825 8856 (SLT Administrator)

Speech and Language Therapy

Start of Year Pack for Schools

2017/2018 Academic Year

Last year was a busy year for the Schools SLT Team as the service into schools continued. Thank you for your on-going co-operation and support during this time and for being patient during recruitment and change of therapists.

The feedback we have received has been positive. We hope to use the feedback so together we can further strengthen and develop our new service.

We look forward to working with your school to improve outcomes for children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs over the coming year.

Karen Benedyk

Head of SLT Service, Ealing

Claire Levy

Ealing Schools SLT Team Leader

Rachel Smith

Ealing Schools SLT Team Leader

Head of SLT Service, Ealing

Karen Benedyk – 020 8825 8856

Mainstream Team Leader

Rachel Smith – 020 8825 5669

(on Maternity Leave until mid/November)

Mainstream Team Leader

Claire Levy – 020 8825 8846

Contents

Page 4-15 Information about Service Structure

16 Key Indicators of SLCN

17-24 Checklists to support the identification of SLCN

25- 32 SLT referral information and SLT referral form

33-40 Environmental Communication Checklists

41-50 SLT Training Programme

51-52 SLT Key Messages for School Newsletter

53 Useful Websites

Brief Introduction

The Mainstream Schools SLT Service in Ealing is split into 3 parts due to the different streams of Commissioning:

1)  CORE – this is funded by the Health Service

2)  SEN – this is commissioned by the Local Authority

3)  Buy-IN – this is individually commissioned by Schools

Information about each part of the service is given in this pack. The table below is a brief Summary

Students / Where?
CORE* / Students under 3 yrs / Service delivered in Clinic
Students aged 3-5yrs in Mainstream Schools (except fluency) / Services delivered in Schools
Students aged 3-5yrs not in Mainstream Schools and students with fluency difficulties / Service delivered in Clinic
Students aged 5+yrs with Fluency or Voice difficulties / Service delivered in Clinic
Student 5+yrs with speech, Selective Mutism/Anxiety Speaking and Social Communication difficulties in Mainstream School / Service delivered in Schools
Student 5+yrs with speech, Selective Mutism/Anxiety Speaking and Social Communication difficulties not in Mainstream School / Service delivered in Clinic
SEN / Students with an EHCP from Ealing with Communication needs / Service delivered in Schools
BUY-IN / Students with language difficulties (or any other communication difficulty that the school wishes the SLT to see) / Service delivered in School

*All students seen in the CORE service must have an Ealing GP

CORE Schools Service

1

Community Services –Ealing

Schools Service

Carmelita House, 21-22 The Mall, Ealing, W5 2PJ

TEL: 8825 8856 (SLT Administrator)

Service Outline – Primary Schools

Organisation & Address: London North West Healthcare

Speech and Language Therapy Department

Carmelita House, 21-22 The Mall, Ealing, W5 2PJ

Tel: 020 8825 8856 (SLT Administrator).

INTRODUCTION

Services to school aged children ages 3-5yrs (except for Fluency which will continue to be seen in clinic) are now to be delivered within schools instead of clinics, allowing them to be assessed in their learning environment. Students in Key Stage 1-3 without an EHCP who have speaking anxiety/ Selective Mutism or whose major difficulty is Social Communication or Speech will also be seen as part of the Core Service. Students with a Hearing Impairment will continue to receive the same service as before.

The Service aims to support schools to allow children to access a stronger more communication rich environment, with daily planned opportunities to develop their speaking and listening through small group and whole class work and to provide teachers and therapists more opportunities to work and learn together. The rational for this is the evidence showing that working with a range of early years staff to embed good practice in promoting speaking and listening, has a considerable impact, not only on the children with identified needs but on the class as a whole (Communication Trust 2011; Gross 2010).

SERVICE DELIVERY

If fully staffed we are able to offer up to X sessions over the term to your school. (A day/session = 5 hours in school). If we are not fully staffed some of these sessions may be delivered by an SLTA as monitoring sessions. 1.5 days of the schools time is set aside for essential training for staff and parents. This time cannot be used for Specialist work and if not used will be reallocated elsewhere in the service.

The Service aims to support school staff to deliver interventions at Wave 1-3 levels. Timely Joint planning with SENCos is essential for the schools to get the most out of the allocated time. The following table outlines how we can work together to ensure that the children and schools staff get the maximum benefit from the time.

Universal and Targeted Interventions

Key Areas / The SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPIST (SLT) … / SCHOOL Staff …
Monitoring children’s progress / SLTs will use the data as part of outcome measurement, service planning and development / Nursery and Reception Teachers share tracking and monitoring of all Nursery and Reception children’s progress using the tracking tool already in place in school (eg, Development Matters).
The SENCO or Lead Practitioner is to share tracking data at the following times:
-  Autumn half-term
-  Spring half-term
-  End of Summer term
Developing the Communication Environment / The school may choose to use a small amount of SLT time to help advise on aspects of the Communication Environment. / Communication Environment audits jointly carried out by the SLT and a member of school staff and an action plan agreed which would be jointly reviewed the following half-term/term
Training and workforce development
Working and Learning Together / SLTs can provide setting with access to a range of Universal training opportunities focusing on SLC.
Including:
-  working with children learning more than one language
-  Makaton.
and also targeted training, on
-  ‘supporting children with speaking anxiety and Selective Mutism’
-  ‘supporting children with social communication difficulties’.
The SLT will share resources with teaching and support staff, signpost practitioners to helpful websites, articles etc, and promote skill-sharing and learning together. / The setting is to commit to new staff in Foundation stage attending the training on ‘supporting children with speaking anxiety and Selective Mutism’.
Each visit the SENCo and/or EYs Lead should be available for a quick ‘touch base’ meeting (5 mins) at the start and end of the SLTs day
The SLT will meet with EYs lead, SENCo and TAs termly to monitor and review how the service is going.
Improving parents’ involvement in their child’s communication
and learning.
Promoting achievement for all. / The SLT will ensure that Key Messages for supporting children’s communication are made available to the setting.
The SLT can support the school in running the key message events eg, Coffee/Parent drop-in mornings, Parent workshops
Such Health Promotion events - outcomed by numbers reached, and questionnaires/interviews/ story-catching. / Parent Partnership – Supporting children’s communication.
The setting is to ensure at least one parent-focused event is delivered per year to cascade key messages for supporting children’s communication to all parents.
Key Messages
-Talk and play everyday
-Sing and rhyme anytime
-Watch less talk more
-Keep your language alive
Wave 2 interventions:
Supporting all the children’s Speech, language and communication development,
particularly ‘at risk’ groups. / The SLT can provide training for staff on relevant wave 2 interventions and can help the teaching staff to set up and monitor these early language and communication interventions.
Interventions for children could include:
Box clever
-  Social skills groups
-  Language development groups
-  Etc
SLTs work together with teaching staff on strategies for grouping children within groups.
SLTs should provide at least termly monitoring of groups that have been set up.
1 day of allocated school time is ring-fenced for staff training in Phonological Awareness Training (to support students with speech difficulties) and one of the following:
-  Shy and Anxious students
-  Box Clever
0.5 day of allocated school time is ring-fenced to help set up the Phonological Awareness Group (either KS1 or KS2) / The expectation is that the wave 2 interventions will be run across Nursery classes (am & pm) and Reception at least 3 times a week
If needed early years staff should attend training on the Wave 2 interventions early on in the autumn term with the aim of having them running by the end of the Autumn term
Teaching staff should be available to discuss the wave 2 interventions and the progress the children are making in these
The setting is to commit to relevant staff either in KS1 and/or KS2 attending the training on ‘Phonological Awareness Group’ and running the group once set up.

Please note:

-  The expectation is that wave two interventions will be in place and running to provide students who are not on track in terms of their Communication and Language skills targeted input before considering a specialist referral.

-  Referrals will be accepted from October half-term (please see information below)

Specialist Caseloads- EYs, KS1 & KS2

The SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPIST (SLT) will … / SCHOOL Staff …
Supporting children with identified SLCN -
Improving their inclusion and levels of attainment. / The SLT has to see new children referred to provision within 6 weeks.
The SLT will feedback the outcome of the assessment of children to relevant parents, staff and the SENCO within a reasonable time frame, including providing a report.
SLT targets will be set for each child in discussion with parents and school staff.
Children will receive SLT input based on need.
This might include, group intervention, consultancy-based intervention, 1:1, pairs, parent-based intervention, training, etc.
The SLT will provide initial reports and SLT targets
The SLT will model strategies and activities for supporting children’s needs within EYs and will help school set up and run appropriate Wave 3 interventions. (this may include modeling/training parents)
The SLT will keep appropriate records of all aspects of their involvement with clients and the school, in line with clinical guidelines. / The SENCO will ensure that any child being put forward for assessment is discussed with the SLT first. (Please note no referral forms will be accepted unless completed and having an SLT signature)
Outside of the SLT led sessions, the Teaching and Support Staff will commit to following through the targets set for individual children within school.
If a student is on the Specialist caseload the SLT would need:
- to review the students at least termly reviews.
- work to be carried over a minimum of 3 times a week by a named member of school staff or parents
If this is not happening in collaboration with the school the student will be discharged from the caseload unless there are exceptional circumstances (eg, student been off school with long term illness).
The allocated TA for each specialist student’s support will be available when the SLT is in school to co-run interventions and develop skills in supporting children with SLCN.
In between SLT sessions, the children will be seen at least three times a week (excluding wave 2 interventions which have been set up), to ensure that targets can be met.
Please note that for a caseload of 10 children this would require the equivalent of 2 whole days TA time to be dedicated to delivering the specialist SLT programme.
School staff should share records showing when interventions have been carried out for children on the caseload and what activities were implemented.
Developing the Communication Environment
(Enhanced)
Promoting the inclusion of children with SLCN / The SLT may make specific additional recommendations around the communication environment, including staff using specific strategies to support a child or children with specific SLCNs. / The SENCO and teaching staff should implement additional specific aspects of the communication environment within a reasonable time frame.
Working with Parents to promote the achievement of children with identified SLCN / The SLT will meet parents of newly referred children at least once in the academic year and will maintain contact as appropriate (e.g. phone/ meetings/ correspondence).
The SLT will ensure that parents of children on the SLT caseload list: know the intervention option agreed for their child and know their communication goals/ strategies etc. / The SENCO will co-ordinate meetings between the SLT and parents, where appropriate.
The SENCO will assist the SLT in linking up with parents who may be difficult to access e.g. language or cultural issues
The SENCO will support the SLT when working with parents where there are specific concerns, e.g. jointly attending meetings.

Where more input is needed the SLT and school will plan when sessions within the allocated time will take place. SLTs will signpost staff to free training offered by the service related to supporting the needs of this caseload. When appropriate, SLTs can support staff to set up groups for these students.

Summary Table of input

Universal / *Required – 1.5 days of time / Planned with SENCo
-  Parent workshop/Coffee morning / -  Whole School / Class Environmental Communication Checklists
-  Whole staff or Team training on:
·  Communication Development (identification and referral)
·  Strategies to promote Communication in the Classroom
·  Colourful Semantics
·  Behaviour and Communication (EYS & KS1)
·  Behaviour and Communication (KS2)
·  Bilingualism – Support Communication Skills
·  Supporting Students with Social Communication Difficulties
-  Whole Class Active Listening
-  Whole Class Langue Carousel (topic based)
Targeted / -  Phonological Awareness Training and Group set up (KS1 and/or 2 depending on caseload)
-  *Training for EYS staff re: Supporting children with speaking anxiety and Selective Mutism’ / *The following groups are available tor SLT/SLTA to train staff and help set up:
-  Social Skills Group
-  Lego Therapy
-  Vocabulary Groups
-  Narrative Groups
-  Vocabulary & Narrative Groups
-  Reading for Meaning
-  Secondary Transition
Specialist / Named person (member of staff or parent) present for all SLT review/therapy sessions who carries over work a minimum of 3 times a week / -  Blocks with SLT/SLTA
-  Specialist Training on:
·  Development Language Disorder
·  Speech (including Dyspraxia)
·  Hearing impairment
·  Dysfluency

*If all Early Years Staff have already been on the central training re: Supporting children with speaking anxiety and Selective Mutism) one of the other groups packages can be delivered instead