Speech & Language Support

Speech

At our school, every child has a speech assessment on arrival to help us identify any areas of need. Where necessary, a tailored speech intervention will be offered in consultation with parents, focusing on any gaps in children’s sounds identified through the screening. Support may take place either 1:1 or in small groups, led by a trained speech practitioner. Progress is carefully monitored and formally reviewed three times a year with the class teacher and/or SENCO.  

If you are concerned about your child’s speech or progress, please contact the SENCO. We also have a dedicated Link Speech and Language Therapist assigned to our school, who provides direct support for children as well as guidance and training for our staff.

Below, you will find a range of resources, strategies, and tips designed to help you support your child’s speech and language development at home.

Speech Resources

 Encouraging TalkingHelping Speech DevelopmentLearning to TalkSpeechlink Introduction to ParentsSpeechlink Screening Results Explained - Parent Guide

Language

Nuffield Early Language Intervention

What is NELI?

• NELI is a 20-week language programme designed to help build strong speaking, listening and vocabulary skills.    The programme is run by trained staff. 

• It’s aimed at Reception (and early years) children who could benefit from extra support with language.

How it works in school

• Screening:  All children will be screened during the Early Years Foundation Stage. If the screening identifies that your child may benefit from extra support with language, they will be invited (through the parent/carer) to be part of the programme.

• Group sessions: Each week your child will take part in three group sessions. These are small groups of about 4 or 5 children, lasting around 30 minutes each. 

  • In those sessions children do activities like games, songs, learning new words and phrases around themes (e.g., “My Body”, “People Who Help Us”, “Journeys”). 

  • They also listen to or look at stories (both made up and real-life events such as going to the doctors or playground) and talk about what’s happening, retell or make up a story. 

• Individual sessions: Each week your child may also receive  individual sessions (one-to-one or very small setting) for about 15 minutes each. 

How you can help at home?

There are many ways that parents/carers can support the language work the school is doing.   Here are a few key ideas:

• Talk and listen together

  • Use your child’s name, sit and chat with them.

  • Use short sentences, be patient. Give your child time to think and respond. 

• Sharing stories

  • Read books with them: pick ones you know or they know already. Children enjoy repetition — reading the same book multiple times helps. 

  • Make up stories or tell them from memory and let your child join in. Ask and answer questions together. 

• Encourage them to take the lead

  • Show you’ve listened by replying or repeating some of what they said.

  • Let your child talk, ask questions, answer back.

• Help with attention and taking turns

  • Give your child time to think before they speak.

  • Model taking turns in conversations - ask a question, wait for them to answer.

  • Encourage listening when others are speaking. 

• The school will also send home a weekly “NELI News” which tells you what the children have been working on that week — you can use this to talk about it with your child at home. 

Why it matters

• Many key skills for reading and learning rest on being able to understand and use language: talking about things, listening, understanding new vocabulary, being able to tell or retell a story.

• This programme gives children extra, targeted support to build these language foundations.

• Because it’s structured and supported by trained staff, your child gets systematic help which may make a difference in how confident they are with language and learning.

What you might see

• Your child going to a little group 3 times a week and a short individual session 2 times a week.

• They might bring home information about the week’s theme or vocabulary - chatting with them about this helps.

• You may notice them using new words or talking more about stories, pictures, events.

• The teacher or TA might ask you to support an activity at home (for example, talk about a story you read together, ask your child to retell an event at home).

 Further Language Support across the School

At East Farleigh Language Link to provide ongoing support for children’s speech, language, and communication development. Language Link is an interactive, evidence-based programme created by speech and language therapists to help schools identify and support children who may find understanding or using language more difficult. Children who have previously received language support continue to be screened using Language Link to monitor their progress and ensure they receive the right help as they move through the school. Where further support is needed, trained staff deliver fun, targeted small-group or one-to-one sessions to build listening, comprehension, and vocabulary skills. We also work closely with parents, sharing progress and offering simple ways to support language learning at home. By using Language Link, we aim to help every child become a confident communicator who can thrive in all areas of learning.

Find out more at www.speechandlanguage.info.