Speech and Language Therapy (SALT)
Speech and Language Therapy at Culverhill School
Enable Trust has the vision of ‘Working together passionately to achieve the best outcomes for our SEND children and young people’. At Culverhill we have the ambition to meet children’s needs better (including meeting SEMH needs) more successfully.
During the academic year 2022/2023 Enable Trust schools reviewed their therapeutic provision and have created a Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) Team. As Enable Trust and Therapy Team expand a workable model is being developed which will grow in readiness for a longer term sustainable way of working and therapy provision which can provide outreach opportunities outside the Trust.
Jane Stonehouse is the Lead Speech and Language Therapist for Enable Trust, working on a Monday and Wednesday at New Siblands School and on a Tuesday and Thursday at Culverhill School.
The Enable Trust Speech and Language Therapy Team may support children in the following areas:
- Developing pupil’s language and communication skills.
- Developing alternative methods of communication e.g. Makaton signing, communication boards, high tech communication aids etc
- Developing pupil’s social communication skills.
- Developing pupil’s speech sound production.
- Developing fluency when talking (Referral to specialist service from NHS)
- Developing pupil’s eating and drinking skills and assessing the safety of their swallow.
The SALT Team are able to assess individual pupil’s speech, language and communication skills when appropriate. Following this, advice and recommendations are provided to help the pupil’s develop their areas of need. They will see pupil’s to provide SALT provisions as detailed in their EHCP’s.
The SALT team also work very closely with the teaching staff to ensure that:
- Explicit communication and interaction approaches are embedded in every lesson.
- Practical SALT activities are embedded in most lessons across the curriculum.
These are crucial aspects of our work within Enable Trust Schools because progress with communication and interaction skills requires daily inputs and these are most effective when delivered within the school curriculum.
Children may be seen in school for therapeutic SALT interventions, either individually or in groups. In addition, for some pupils, SALT interventions and programmes of work are delivered by school staff under direction and oversight from the Speech & Language Therapy Team.
The Enable Trust SALT model has been devised to show the offer for all students. Each students needs will be assessed and they will be assigned a tier. The chart (see attached) shows the level of input they require by class team and SALT. As both New Siblands and Culverhill are specialist schools this provision could look quite different to mainstream ways of working. Many aspects of our SALT provision are delivered in class as part of our total communication approach
The Core speech and language therapy service provided by Sirona.
` We have reached a critical point with a significant number of vacancies in our Special Schools in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire and as a result we have had to amend our Core Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) offer to prioritise the highest need pupils.
We will continue to prioritise the following children for direct Speech and Language Therapy input:
• Children requiring support for dysphagia (swallowing) difficulties – we will continue to see these children within 4 weeks of referral.
• Children with direct Speech and Language Therapy provision which falls within our normal core offer specified in their EHCP.
• Children referred to us for initial assessment (or reassessment) of their communication needs, where they meet the core service criteria.
We are actively recruiting to our vacant posts and remain hopeful that we will be able to resume full core service again soon. `
Taken from a letter dated 17 05 24 from
Fran Jones
Speech and Language Therapy Professional Lead ,
Children’s Community Health Partnership, Sirona Care and Health