Guidelines to using specialist support services

When there are concerns regarding speech and language skills, school can request support from Speech and Language Therapists - see Referral Pathways section for more details of accessing this service.  Younger children may have had the support from a Speech and Language Therapist before attending school.

If Speech and Language Therapists are visiting school, the SENCo, on behalf of the senior leadership team, should ensure that they are qualified, accredited  and insured.  The advice and strategies they provide should be practical and aim to improve the outcomes for children.

When working with individual children/young people, it is the school’s responsibility to ensure that:

• parental consent is confirmed for any involvement with any specialist support service
• feedback from the outcome of the involvement is shared with parents/carers
• advice and recommendations that have been given are disseminated to all relevant staff
• advice and recommendations are implemented as part of the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle - see SEN support in school section.

Specialist support services can be also used in other ways:

• Whole School - teachers/senior leadership team may seek support from external speech and language consultants for advice on
  • Whole school policy writing regarding speech and language needs
  • Whole school inclusion, ethos and vision
  • Whole school audits and action planning
  • Whole school training on speech and language needs
• Classroom support - Specialist Support Services can provide advice and support to teachers on:
  • Adapting the curriculum content and delivery for all learners
  • Class based interventions
  • Meeting diverse language needs in the classroom