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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A shared training day based on best practice and inclusion for all. We're going to be at this event in March- why not come to hear some amazing, inspirational speakers and meet us in the marketplace.
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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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In December 2017, the Department for Education (DfE) launched Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential: a plan for improving social mobility through education. A major ambition in the plan is to close the word gap in the early years. The need to tackle developmental gaps at the earliest opportunity, particularly focussing on the early language and literacy skills, is currently sharply in focus. So ….. how did Soundswell ‘s Jo get involved? Here is her story.
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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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Did you visit the BNSTSA annual conference on 14/9/18 ? We were there - Jo was in the marketplace talking to delegates, and Emily presented a really popular workshop called :- " SLCN in the Early Years, what to look for and how to help ". If you'd like copes of the slides from that presentation you can find them in the full article below
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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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Have you struggled hard to justify spending money on speech and language therapy this time round? Have you had to stand your corner with the senior leadership team and/or Governing Body? Here is the proof that the fight was worth it. For the first time, robust research shows the benefits to schools of purchasing input – in addition to what is available from the NHS.
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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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