SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPY

Bushfield Road Infant School holds The North Lincolnshire Communication and Interaction Charter Mark. The school reviews their Communication & Interaction action plans and formulates a new action plan as appropriate.

The school was congratulated for the high levels of commitment to the development of communication and Interaction skills throughout the school. Subsequent reviews confirm that ‘Communication and Interaction continue to be a priority for the school and an area of achievement within the setting.’

Speaking and Listening is a high priority for all pupils throughout the school and is an integral part of the school curriculum. For this reason, Speech and language development and ‘Talk for Learning’ are at the heart of the school’s ethos and practice.

At Bushfield Infants we employ a specialist Teaching assistant, trained at practitioner level, to provide extra support for pupils experiencing speech and language difficulties. A Speech & Language Toolkit and a range of assessment tools are used to identify specific difficulties children may be having and if appropriate, individual plans are drawn up to provide support to meet individual needs. Language Link Assessments and Speech Link Assessments are used on entry into Reception to identify pupils with difficulties in comprehension and expression or speech. Parents will be informed of any concerns and will be aware of the support their children receive. Wellcom toolkit is used in the Nursery to help to identify delays in our youngest children and any concerns discussed with parents.

Pupils experiencing more serious difficulties with speech or aspects of language, may be identified as having SEND and as such would have targets set on an Individual Education Plan. Parents would be invited to termly review meetings to assess progress being made and to identify the next steps. Where necessary, the school can make referrals to NHS Speech and Language Therapy Services and in liaison with them, we will work on individual programmes to help improve difficulties and to fill gaps in development. Parents would be invited to meetings with our school’s Speech & language therapist and support and advice given to parents regarding areas to work on with their child at home.

The Teaching Assistant will also plan a range of appropriate speech and language activities, including games, practical tasks and computer programs to help improve their speech and language skills.

Should a parent have any questions or need advice, they should contact the school and make an appointment to meet with Mrs Cross the Teaching assistant with responsibility for Speech and Language.