We are committed to supporting the speech, language and communication development of all our pupils.

As part of this we are working in partnership with our NHS link speech & language therapist (Christina Eakins) as well as Specialist Teachers to continue to improve our practice and provision and help to ensure that all our children reach their potential.

If you have any concerns about your child's speech, language or communication skills, please speak to your child's class teacher in the first instance. We will then work together with you to agree next steps. 

You will be kept informed about any plans to support your child. 

Kent County Council (KCC) and NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) are working together to transform support for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) within the Kent County Council area. The initiative is underpinned by use of the Balanced System®, an outcomes-based framework and delivery model for integrated services, created by Marie Gascoigne and available through Better Communication CIC. 

The Balanced System® is a whole system strategic approach to supporting children and people with a whole range of needs, that has primarily come out of work in the area of speech, language and communication for over 15 years. It is used by a whole range of stakeholders, including commissioners from all disciplines and providers, particularly of therapy services. 

Please see below links to further resources to support speech and language development:

Speech Link Multimedia Ltd is a UK based company founded by two speech and language therapists and a web developer back in 2004. Since then, it grown to develop innovative award-winning assessment and intervention programmes for children with SLCN. Their mission is to help all school staff identify and support Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) successfully so that no child is left behind at school or in life.  They also offer some direct advice to parents via their Parent Portal web page

Speech and Language UK (formerly known as iCAN) give families the confidence and skills to help their children. If you're concerned about your child's speech and language development, check out their website for some help 

The schools' speech and language therapy (SLT) service support children and young people (CYP) within mainstream schools and specialist provisions in close liaison with families and key agencies. This includes working with CYP with a range of identified Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), for example:

• difficulty understanding language in instructions, questions and conversations
• difficulty understanding the meaning of words
• difficulty finding the words to express their ideas
• difficulty formulating sentences
• difficulty with speech production.

East Kent Health Trust Speech and Language Therapists work with children and young people with a wide range of communication needs, as well as supporting with eating and drinking.  All of their Speech and Language Therapists are registered with the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists and HCPC.  Their website is a good starting point for some general information about getting SALT support.