Contact details
- Administration team:
- 01702 578614
- Clare Baxter, Secretary to the principal Speech & Language Therapist:
- 01702 578607
- Email:
- [email protected]
Do you need to develop your universal and targeted offer for Speech Language and Communication Needs?
The local Speech and Language Therapy service is commissioned to provide specific assessment and intervention for children living within the Southend and Castlepoint and Rochford populations via a referral into the service.
However…
We do appreciate that this means that there is a gap when schools or settings may wish to seek general training in relation to speech, language and communication needs.
As a service we aim to provide one solution for schools to support their provision for speech, language and communication needs at every level to maximise the total amount of support available to you.
We are pleased to be able to offer a general training course ‘menu’ which schools and settings can purchase from to meet individual needs at a highly competitive pricing structure, providing value for money from qualified and highly experienced NHS Speech and Language Therapists.
Please see the training menu details on the web page for details of courses offered and for booking information. All queries can be sent to via the training booking form which can be downloaded from this page.
SLT ‘Training Menu’ for Schools
These workshops would be suitable for a twilight or staff meeting session of approx. 1-2hours
EPUT Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service has adopted The Balanced System™ framework as it offers a practical solution to meeting the needs of children and young people with Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). The framework provides a suite of tools to support the development of a whole system approach to supporting the development of speech, language and communication skills in the population. This includes timely identification, supporting the workforce, including schools and preschool settings, supporting parents/carers, ensuring all environments are conducive to supporting SLCN, appropriate and evidence based assessment and intervention by those best placed to support that child or young person. The Balanced System’s framework for effective support and outcomes runs through all aspects of the service’s design and pathways.
Central to this approach and framework is our commitment to work in partnership with settings and schools in the population areas we cover. This is to ensure children with speech, language and/or communication needs (SLCNs) are supported at the correct level with those supporting them being confident, experienced and trained to use appropriate communication support strategies in the correct environment to enable them to reach their agreed outcomes.
EPUT Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service covers populations that fall under two different Local Educational Authorities (LEAs);
- Essex Local Education Authority (for children living in postcode areas SS3 (Great Wakering), SS4 (Rochford and Canewdon), SS5 (Hockley Hawkwell and Hullbridge), SS6 (Rayleigh), SS7 (Benfleet and Hadleigh) and SS8 (Canvey Island)
- Southend Local Education Authority (for children living in postcode areas SS0 (Westcliff on Sea), SS1 and SS2 (Southend), SS3 (Shoebury), SS9 (Leigh on Sea)
The EPUT Children’s SLT Service works to maximise collaboration and partnership work with both LEAs and aims to support settings in each area at a universal, targeted and specialist level to meet the needs of children and young people with SLCNs.
As part of this the EPUT Children’s SLT service supported the concept of Ordinarily Available for settings/schools. The Ordinarily Available approach sets out a common set of expectations about the provision and practice that is expected in all Early Years settings, mainstream schools and Post 16 providers for children and young people with Special education needs and disability (SEND). It is what a young person, parent/carer or family can expect to be “normally” or “ordinarily” available to their child without the need for involving specialist support.
Provides guidance and links to resources recommended and quality assured by Speech and Language Therapy Services for the universal support of all pupils in settings. Visit the The Ordinarily Available (OA) for useful documents and links or scan the QR code. 
Should be used by settings in addition to and NOT instead of the Ordinarily Available Inclusive Teaching Framework for pupils where the advice at a universal level has not been sufficient to meet that pupil’s needs and more targeted strategies might be needed. Visit the Essex County Council Education webpage or scan the below QR code for a useful document with embedded advice and resources.
EPUT Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Service will reference Ordinarily Available in reports and provision recommendations and will signpost settings to Ordinarily Available resources when recommending strategies for intervention.
It is expected that schools and settings have considered the Ordinarily Available Universal Inclusive Teaching Framework and the Ordinarily Available Targeted support documents and resources before considering a referral into a Specialist service such as Speech and Language Therapy. We expect settings and schools to evidence on referrals what strategies/advice have already been trialled from Ordinarily Available and the outcomes of these when completing a referral into Speech and Language Therapy.