Soundswell's Covid -19 Risk assessment
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So, the new term is finally here and we’re all desperate to get into schools to start seeing our colleagues and the children whom we have missed so much. It’s been a funny old year (isn’t that most overused phrase ever!), and now seems a good time to ponder what lessons are there for us to take from this oddest of odd years
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We deliver services to EY settings, primary, secondary, and special schools in the West Midlands and surrounding areas. We are particularly interested to hear from therapists with special school experience. Our therapists are the 'face' of Soundswell - they are talented, personable and good communicators. Building relationships by being in a setting regularly over time, they are genuinely appreciated for the positive difference they make. Working with Soundswell allows you to be responsive, manage the caseload according to clinical priorities and the needs of the setting. Interested? Contact us for an informal chat in the first instance. Visit www.soundswellspeech.com Jo Williams on 07837 048525 / Diana McQueen 07967 178491
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Within recent days we have risen to the challenge of showing school staff how they can help children to communicate effectively and be socially distanced. This is a pretty tall order – but also very important. Social distancing is unlikely to disappear within the foreseeable future – so just how do we get beyond children just ‘shouting louder’ to make themselves heard? Read on to find out….
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Soundswell Speech and Language Therapy Solutions offer exactly that…. Solutions. Finding innovative answers to tricky scenarios presented to us by schools and other settings is what gets us up in the morning, from …how to address SLCN on a whole school basis with a budget of 2 buttons and a polo mint found in a chair in the staff room to …how to engage with a secondary age pupil with significant SLCN, low self-esteem and mental health difficulties The Corona Virus Lockdown presented us with a few new and unforeseen challenges, read on to find out how we adapted and have survived !!
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In the coming days school staff will face one of the biggest challenges of their careers. Back to school but not as it was? There will be many competing priorities and all must be met within the context of social distancing. Read on to see how Soundswell therapists will continue to deliver high-quality and effective services to support both staff and children ….
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Covid 19 Risk assessment [prepared for there-opening of schools from June 1st 2020] For on-going review in accordance with Government guidance [formal review in Autumn 1]
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Welcome back to the third and final part of our ‘In the Moment’ article. Here we look at instances where ITM may not be the best approach and the argument as to why. If you have read the first two of this little series of articles, I hope you feel as I do that we have learnt quite a lot about ‘Planning in the Moment’ [ITM] and how powerful it can be if practitioners are properly equipped to exploit the approach to its full potential. Now it’s time to look at those instances when ITM is not necessarily the best approach…
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Sandwell Academy recently hosted another of our free vocabulary training sessions. Vocabulary is the best predictor of a child’s academic success - this fact is often quoted, and the link between vocabulary at age 5 and GCSE results is also frequently mentioned.
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Like of our colleagues in Education and Health, Soundswell therapists have been busy working on new ways to 'keep calm and carry on'. Sophie and Hayley worked with the senior leadership team at Nelson Mandela Primary to set up 2 remote training session this week- and there's more to come!!
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On February 28th Soundswell therapists gathered for our Spring CPD event at The Spires Nursing home Lichfield. This was a return visit here for us and not just because of the relaxed and comfortable surroundings; after all who could resist those enormous home made sausage rolls and the endless supply of coffee and biscuits? As ever we had a stimulating and entertaining day with contributions from all the team. Read on to find out more
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Welcome back to the second in our three-part series of articles about ‘In the Moment’. Here we explore what is needed to successfully and effectively deliver both child-led & objective-setting approaches, depending on the needs of the children in your setting.
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“Closing the Word Gap” Teaching Vocabulary in small groups
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We're really please to add this to our range of Language for Learning Training half day courses It's another practical session with loads of goodies to take away 8th June 9.15 - 12 .25 at Mapledene School, Birmingham
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“Such an informative course and real value for money with all the great resources included’ It's quite daunting to deliver training to a group of your own peers, especially when some of them have travelled a long way to be there. So to receive feedback such as this was very welcome indeed.
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Early in 2019 Soundswell started working in Old Park special school in Dudley. By the time December was upon us we had begun a service to Pens Meadow – another Dudley special school. So …. how does that work – when an independent provider takes on work on an NHS provider’s local patch? There is always the potential for conflict as well as partnership – especially when the NHS service also has therapists working in the school/s in question ……
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‘In the Moment’ [ITM] is not new (author, instigator and experienced EY practitioner Anna Ephgrave was interviewed on the ‘EYFS matters’ blog back in 2015) but, for us, the approach has recently come to the fore in terms of its application to the delivery of speech and language therapy targets. To better understand the potential (and the pitfalls), Soundswell therapists have looked into what is involved and also sought the views of current practitioners (both teachers and EY consultants).
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Training comes in many forms – from the formal inset planned many weeks ahead, through to twilights or much more informal small group topics you hold in-house. Whatever your topic and whoever your provider, make sure you get the most out of the sessions. Read on to find out how this works at Soundswell..….
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Small group, especially-tailored training is by far the best and most effective way to advance staff learning and confidence – whether this is to introduce a topic which is new to some or to refresh the knowledge and skills of others. EY staff at Hallfield recently received a Wellcomm speech and language toolkit session from their new school therapist Nicki (Soundswell associate)….
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How often do you find yourself asking children questions? Hmmm… the honest answer to this is probably ‘most of the time’! ‘That’s how we find out what children know’ I hear you say! Many children struggle to interpret the question itself – let alone remember it long enough to come up with a response. What can we do to help...?
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Hallmoor staff are an enthusiastic group of people, with the best interests of their pupils at heart. Recently they received training about Alternative & Augmentative Communication (AAC) – what is it and how we can use it to maximise teaching and learning for our children and young people? Read on….
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In 2018 I spent 2 days training to be a Local Government Association (LGA) peer reviewer - it was one of those things that seemed like a great idea at the time. It was intense and interesting, and a little bit scary too. I met all sorts of people who seemed to know loads more than me and secretly I hoped they'd forget I'd even been on the course. Months went by with no 'call-up' from the LGA and I began to think I'd got away with it, until I got the call to go to Liverpool in November- no escape now! What is an LGA Peer Review I hear you ask? Was it as bad as you feared I hear you wondering? Read on to find out more.....
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Remember the Famly Guy? We posted an item on our blog back in May this year, after we had delivered a seminar at the Childcare Expo in Manchester. (take a look further down this page to see that article). Then what happened?
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As you read this, what does it make you think? Positive outcomes for children? Certainly, if we take account of a raft of research, we would be thinking of the social, emotional and educational benefits of providing the right support for all young children at the earliest opportunity. How many people reading this would automatically think about the economic advantages of such investment?
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Soundswell are excited to announce that we are now working in the following areas of the West Midlands:- Telford, Sandwell, and Dudley
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Soundswell are excited to announce that we are now working in the following areas of the West Midlands:- Dudley, Sandwell and Telford.
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Soundswell are excited to announce that we are now working in the following areas of the West Midlands:- Sandwell, Dudley, and Telford.
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Two major school membership organisations have posted losses as schools tighten their belts in the face of budget restraints (as reported recently in ‘Curriculum Chatter’). But CPD is now more important than ever as, on a daily basis, staff face the challenge of supporting (and educating) children with a range of increasingly complex needs, including those with speech, language & communication needs (SLCN). SLCN affects 10% of all children – rising to 50% in areas of social disadvantage (Law et al 2017). Look around your classroom today: as many as half of those children may be struggling to access the curriculum. Do you know how best to help? Read on to find out about SLCN CPD from Soundswell …..
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No – you haven’t misread this, it isn’t a typo! Matt is the head of content at Famly, a nursery management software company from Denmark. Soundswell’s Jo and Diana took part in a video interview for Famly, as part of their attendance at the Manchester Childcare Expo to present a seminar on universal language screening.
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It has never been easy to make sure that any/all staff working with C&YP on the therapists’ caseload are aware of exactly what is a priority and how to weave support into curriculum activities. Things have become even more of a challenge as the TA workforce is reduced, therapists find themselves more isolated and everyone has so many demand and pressures. It isn’t uncommon for the SEN team in a school to say that class staff just ‘don’t engage’. Even when they are willing, they just don’t know enough to be able to move things forward. In one setting, the solution to the disengagement proved to be drastic indeed….
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Young, dynamic and savvy, the newly appointed Head at the one form entry Orchards Primary Academy understood the link between good language skills and future educational success. Three years ago she chose to invest time and money in a therapy service, and Soundswell training in how to make the most of the Wellcomm speech and language Toolkit. Staff started using Wellcomm in the Nursery & Reception and then in Pre-school. As we know, positive and enduring change takes time…..
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‘Measuring impact’ – are the current buzz words in schools and settings everywhere. Continually & routinely staff are being asked to evidence the impact of interventions delivered and be able to show that children & young people (CYP) make progress. Measuring impact (and, by inference, positive impact) is doubly important for those schools buying in a service. The progress that CYP make and the gains in staff knowledge, skills and confidence also equate with justification for the investment made in speech and language therapy (SLT). Read on to find out what to expect from Soundswell.
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Sleuth (Oxford Concise English Dictionary): • Noun: a detective • Verb: sleuthing: carry out a search or investigation As of February 25th, staff at the Bridge special school in Sutton are super sleuths. At their recent inset day Bridge staff became the very first group to receive the brand new Soundswell SSLEUTHS training.
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Hi, my name is Bryony Aitken and I’m an independent Speech and Language Therapist based in the West Midlands. I work with Soundswell and run my own company Speech Spot Ltd, supporting children who have a range of Speech, Language and Communication Needs in primary schools, homes, nurseries and secondary schools.
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Last week Soundswell’s Jo & Diana headed north up the M6 to deliver Wellcomm training to groups of nursery staff from across Warrington. The participants were welcoming, enthusiastic and contributed to making the sessions dynamic and successful.
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For a relatively modest investment you can make a significant impact on the speech, language and communication environment in your setting. Read on to find out how!
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Feedback from SPARRK training session (inner city Birmingham school) February 2019 On a scale of 1-5 (where 1 is the lowest & 5 the highest) participants were asked how confident they felt about the statements below
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Designed for use with individual pupils, SPARRK provides you, the Practitioner, with the means of assessing the most important phonological awareness skills of children from Foundation to KS4.
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Phonics teaching is systematic, rigorous and a cornerstone of the curriculum from the beginning of Reception. The phonics test at the end of year 1 is the final hurdle. For the majority of children this approach works; they acquire phonics and are able to successfully build and blend - picking up phonological awareness knowledge and skills along the way.
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Training is a frequently-used intervention for speech and language therapy services – and Soundswell is no exception. It’s an attractive option due to its wide reach and potential cost-effectiveness. But – budget constraints mustn’t be the only reason for choosing training : impact and influence are just as important. We need to be clear as to the purpose and be rigorous in collecting and acting upon feedback. Settings need to know what is available and be able to choose what meets their needs and why, at any given point. Accessed shrewdly, training is not only excellent value for money but it will make a positive difference to children with speech, language & communication difficulties (SLCN)
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We know that children taking part in Wellcomm groups can make significant gains in terms of language skills. But… does this translate into measurable gains in terms of assessment in the EYFS? Yes it does! Louise, Senco (and Deputy Head) at Welford Primary has the data to prove it!
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Hayley has worked for Soundswell for 4 years now. Find out what Hayley's biggest challenge is and what makes her giggle at work
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Soundswell have been recommending the Wellcomm Toolkit for a number of years. During this time we have developed more in-depth ways of gathering information to identify which children could be more successfully grouped together. We also encourage schools and settings to look at different ways data can measure impact. Here is a very ‘good news’ story from Court Farm Primary in Erdington.
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The value of early language screening at a universal level cannot be over-estimated. Proactive, quality Early Years settings routinely screen their new intakes, (Wellcomm by gl-assessment is the language screening tool of choice in many settings), and put in place appropriate interventions. But … it’s becoming more evident, particularly with the arrival of 2 year-olds, that some children are just not ready to be either reliably screened or to benefit from an intervention group. Who are these children and what can we do to help?
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What is the Word Gap? Who is disadvantaged and why? What are the plans for positive change? December 2017 saw the publication of a national plan to improve social mobility through education, by removing ‘potential obstacles’ – in this case improving the less favourable outcomes for disadvantaged children who have poor language skills.
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Are you working to support children with SLCN? Language for Learning courses and resources empower teaching staff and parents to support children in accessing meaningful language learning experiences across the school day.
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I worked for the NHS as a speech and language therapist ( SaLT) for 24 years before starting my own practice providing services to schools and families. In a very short space of time I was fully booked and that's when I called my trusted colleague Diana- and Soundswell was born!!
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If you are thinking of Speech & Language Therapy as a career, read Sophie's advice about how to get started
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Nicki tell us her top tip for parents:- It’s really worrying for parents when their children aren’t saying as much as they think they should and there can be a tendency for adults to talk more, ask more questions, fill the silences as a well-meaning method of helping. I would say, relax (if you can), stand back and watch your child to see what they enjoy playing with, looking at, are interested in. You can then add in words/ short phrases to label what the child is holding/ playing with and comment on what they are doing. Allow lots of pauses and count to 10 to allow your child to time to respond.
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In the second of our 'meet the team' articles, Emily describes how she started her career and what are her biggest challenges.
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Denise Charnock has worked with Soundswell for about 2 years now, read on to find out what advice she would give to worried parents and anyone considering speech & language therapy as a career
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