Guidance for schools commissioning services for SLCN

Transcription

1 Guidance for schools commissioning services for SLCN

2 Guidance for schools commissioning services for SLCN Contents Introduction... 4 Commissioning Model Phase 1: Understand... 6 Phase 2: Plan... 8 Phase 3: Do Phase 4: Review Whole school approach The key to success Appendices Footnotes... 19

3 Introduction Who is this document for? Both commissioners and suppliers of services to support children s speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) in primary schools. In the main, this is likely to include: Head teachers Governing bodies Academy business leads Local authorities Learning support providers Speech and language therapy providers What is this document about? The guidance is structured around a staged model of commissioning 1 : understand; plan; do and review. The model is discussed in detail in documents which form part of the Commissioning Support Programme available on 2. It provides tools for: needs assessment; whole system mapping; user involvement; workforce and evaluating outcomes. These were produced as part of the government response to the recommendations of the Bercow Review of services to support children and young people with SLCN (2008) 3. Why commission a service for Speech, Language and Communication? SLCN continues to be the most prevalent reported SEN in primary aged children with statements or at school action plus (29.1%) 4. Supporting children s speech, language and communication is key to children s learning: the expert panel which contributed a report to the review of the National Curriculum reported: We are strongly of the view that the development of oral language should be a particular feature of the new National Curriculum 5. the extent to which pupils develop good communication skills (as well as reading, writing and maths) is recognised by Ofsted as a key factor in judging pupils achievement. It is also identified as a key feature of good quality teaching 6. Increasingly, there is recognition of the importance of spoken language underpinning written language. A recent Ofsted report 7 looking at English across primary and secondary schools stated: Focusing on developing communication skills helps raise attainment. In one Local Authority, a community wide strategy underpinned by schools focus on speaking and listening resulted in a marked rise in the percentage of pupils achieving above the expected level in reading and writing at age seven 8. During her 2 year term as Communication Champion, Jean Gross strongly recommended a model which supports children s speech, language and communication across 3 waves of support. The most effective schools are commissioning a period of enhanced support from SLCN specialists to train staff and help the school set up this three-wave model. Schools increasingly realise that speech, language and communication is an issue for them. In the A Chance to Talk project 9 issues identified by head teachers included: high numbers of children across school with poor speech, language and communication particularly on entry to school lack of access to speech and language therapy services teachers lack of confidence in their skills and knowledge of SLC/N lack of awareness of how to identify children with SLCN limited knowledge about strategies to support children concerns about attainment and behaviour of children with SLCN. teachers understandably prioritise pupils work in reading and writing because they feature more prominently in national tests and examinations. Speech comes before both reading and writing. The earlier that all children develop confidence in their speech, along with an extensive vocabulary, the more likely it is that they will be able to improve their overall competence in reading and writing. 4 Commissioning Guide for Schools: SLCN Commissioning Guide for Schools: SLCN 5

4 Commissioning model Phase 1: Understand The first activity for a school is to understand the scale of need. Figure 1 shows how the children in a school can be divided up according to their SLCN. Children may have SLCN because the environment they live in does not provide enough stimulation for their speech, language and communication skills to develop: in areas of high social deprivation children are more than twice as likely to have SLCN 10. SLCN can also form part of a wider range of needs a child may have, such as learning difficulties, autistic spectrum disorder and hearing impairment. Approximately 10% of children in the population have these long term, persistent difficulties. Children who have SLCN as their primary need form 5-7% of the population. These children have impaired speech and/or language development which is not related to their environment. (See Fig 1). Children with English as an additional language do not automatically have SLCN. However for some children, learning English in the school context can be a challenge and these children also need a skilled and confident workforce to support their learning. Next, schools need to understand what support is currently is available. This includes internal resources, i.e. what is already available within school interventions; knowledge among staff; keenness to learn. External resources include speech and language therapy, learning support, educational psychology. It also includes what these services provide: training, support for individual pupils and/or advice. Schools need to : identify the numbers of children currently seen by speech and language therapy (SLT) service (including numbers of children discharged for non attendance). link with feeder early years providers and children s centres to understand what provision is available before children start school and to estimate the need in Reception. identify the number of children on the SEN register who have SLCN. use the free school meals (FSM) information to estimate likely numbers at risk of SLCN within the school population. Children from areas of social disadvantage are more than twice as likely to have SLCN 11. estimate the number of children who are not reaching their expected attainment levels because of SLCN. This could include children who have been identified as having challenging behaviour. audit the skills and knowledge within the school what training has already been received, what areas has this covered? How confident do teachers feel about speech, language and communication? Are there staff with additional qualifications? The Speech, Language and Communication Framework has an online self audit tool which schools can use to evaluate staff confidence in speech, language and communication. See Appendices 1 and 2 for suggested tables to help with this audit. From this, schools can develop a map of speech, language and communication provision across the school, identify gaps and think about what outcomes they would want to gain from any provision or support commissioned. 1% 100% all children 7% 10% at least 50% 50% in some parts of the UK, particularly in areas of social disadvantage, upwards of 50% of children are starting school with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). 10% I CAN estimates that 10% of all children have complex or persistent SLCN. This 10% is a mixture of: Children who have SLCN as a result of another condition such as autism, hearing impairment, general learning difficulties etc. 7% of children who have SLCN as their main or primary difficulty also referred to as specific language impairment (SLI). An estimated 1% i of children who have the most severe and complex SLCN. i Review of services for children and young people with SLCN, John Bercow MP 100% 6 Commissioning Guide for Schools: SLCN

5 Commissioning model Phase 2: Plan Universal Targeted Specialist Everyday practice from adults which develops communication skills. Communication supportive classrooms. Small group additional intervention. Enhanced knowledge and skills to support SLCN within the school. Enhanced knowledge and skills across the school. For some schools a specialist level of knowledge and skills. Individualised, specialist support for children designed and managed by a speech and language therapist. Intensive intervention on an individual or small group basis with a speech and language therapist. In this phase, schools need to define what they want the provision for SLCN to be for each level of need identified. The table above gives an illustration of what this might look like 12. The recently published Better Communication Research Programme report Understanding SLCN Profiles of need and provision provides evidence for the need for universal, quality first teaching as the first phase in a strategic approach to supporting children s language. The report makes clear that if this is in place, then there can be more cost effective allocation of specialist resources at targeted and specialist levels. Many schools are currently using their Pupil Premium funding to commission support for children s SLCN. Planning for speech, language and communication may include some or all of the following features, speech and language therapy services can be involved in providing across all three levels: All children Just below age related expectations for speech, language and communication Significantly below expected levels Lowest attaining Universal: increased awareness and knowledge of speech, language and communication among parents/carers increased skills and knowledge of all staff in modelling good communication skills increase in teachers confidence in identifying SLCN communication supportive environment established across the school access to relevant and appropriate information about SLC/N for everyone I CAN 13 defines a school at this level as: A Communication Supportive School has the resources and staff with the skills and knowledge to support all children s communication development, providing a communication supportive environment for learning and development representing quality-first teaching, and the knowledge and ability to identify children who require additional support. Targeted: evidence based interventions with small groups or individual children training to support staff to implement and evaluate interventions enhanced skills and knowledge of some or all staff in identifying and supporting SLCN an enhanced communication environment established across the school I CAN defines a school at this level as: A Communication Enhanced School meets the standards for a communication supportive environment and has the resources and staff with the skills and knowledge to provide an inclusive environment for children with a mild, moderate or transient SLCN, working collaboratively with local experts. Specialist: individualised support to meet needs which are complex and unpredictable specialist support to either: - directly deliver intervention - design and monitor intervention - work in a multidisciplinary team to assess/design/deliver intervention group or individual intervention may be a specialist pathway following a diagnosis e.g. ASD staff have specialist skills in supporting SLCN and multidisciplinary working the school has a specialist communication environment available to support children who require it I CAN defines a school at this level as: A Communication Specialist School delivers high-quality integrated education alongside speech and language therapy for children with the most severe and complex SLCN. Services at this level can demonstrate collaborative multi-disciplinary practice that benefits children with severe, complex and persistent SLCN and their parents. I CAN Primary Talk Accreditation can support schools to evaluate and evidence their SLC/N support for pupils at each of these three levels. For more information see primary As a result of the Better Communication Research Programme, there is now a database of What Works 14 in SLCN provision which has further details of effective approaches. The Communication Trust has developed this as an online tool, available at: www. thecommunicationtrust.org.uk/whatworks 8 Commissioning Guide for Schools: SLCN Commissioning Guide for Schools: SLCN 9

6 Commissioning model Phase 3: Do Inputs Outputs Outcomes Impact Staff time Specialist expertise Management time Resourcing for interventions, activities, training etc Sources of funding Wave 1 whole school training Wave 2 intervention training Wave 2 training for some staff Wave 3 Individual and small group tailored sessions Staff understand more about SLCN Able to identify children with SLCN Able to support children with language delay Classroom practice more supportive of communication Children develop speech, language and communication skills More children have language skills in typical range Children with SLCN get support they need Children are more engaged and make progress at school Fewer children needing ongoing specialist support Children who do need specialist support make good progress Parents satisfied with support Schools have systems for supporting all children s speech, language and communication Schools may find an input> output> outcome> impact model useful in deciding what support they want for each level of need in their school. The main focus should be on the outcome and eventual impact of any activity. The table on the left illustrates an action plan for a whole school approach. Outcomes and impact Outcomes focus on the immediate learning and action resulting from activities. They shift the focus from the activity itself to the results - answering the so what? question. For example, we had a training day what has changed?. For children, these will focus on changes to speech, language and communication. For teachers, this might lead to improvements in the quality of their teaching. Impacts are the longer term consequences as a result of focusing on speech, language and communication. For children, these will be about wider school and social performance and social and emotional skills. For schools they will focus on changes to systems. Schools will need to agree what outcomes they want for each level of support. Outcomes and impacts can be agreed for the 3 main stakeholders: children; staff and parents/ carers. Examples of these include: Outcomes Pupils Improvements in pupil s communication skills; vocabulary, narrative skills, conversational skills, interactions, confidence and thinking skills A greater understanding of different aspects of speech, language and communication and why they are important More constructive on-topic talk from pupils in class More positive learning dialogue between pupils and between pupils and teachers Staff and school Staff will be able to measure progress in speech, language and communication Staff will use specific strategies and approaches to support language development in both whole class and small group work In pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL), staff will be more able to distinguish second language learning difficulties from SLCN The quality of feedback from teachers to pupils improves The school will be more communication friendly; for example, through more use of visual support alongside written material, visual time tables, promoting good questioning around the school Parent/carers Parents/carers will be more informed about speech, language and communication and know what to do if they have concerns about their child Parents/carers will understand what the school is doing to help their child and know how to support them at home Impact Pupils Raised attainment in reading, writing, speaking and listening and other subject areas Increased engagement, with resultant positive impact on behaviour for learning and attitudes to learning Improvements in behaviour and attendance Pupils with SLCN and others will gain in confidence and self esteem particularly where they are supported to learn social interaction and friendship skills Commissioning Guide for Schools: SLCN 11

7 Commissioning model Phase 4: Review Staff and school Staff will have increased awareness of the impact of speech, language and communication on learning and behaviour By focusing on the development of communication skills, more teaching is judged good or better Through working alongside a speech and language therapist, they will have increased confidence and competence in how to support those who have SLCN The school will have sustainable systems in place to support pupils speech, language and communication and those with needs Parent/carers Providing a focus on communication and perhaps a speech and language therapist may make the school more attractive to parents, and increase the engagement of parents who already have children at the school. Who and what to commission? Once the school has a clear idea of what outcomes and impacts it wants to aim for, the next step is to look at the resources and activities (inputs and outputs) necessary to deliver these required outcomes. Examples include: buying in training from an external provider, linking clearly to the outcomes the school requires. Any commissioning agreement needs to specify not only what outcomes and impact for children s speech, language and communication should be achieved but also how these will be measured. Schools will need to agree outcome measures with providers which they feel are robust enough to show whether input at each level has been effective. Ideally outcome measures will include a baseline (before) and after measure which is replicable so that progress over time can be measured. Appendix 3 includes some ideas of practical school-based outcome measures. For longer term measures of impact, where possible schools can use existing school data for progression, attainment and behaviour. They can then make comparisons what is different before and after introducing an intervention or initiative. This is a challenge for both schools and providers as school data does not as a matter of course include measures of speech, language and communication. Where measures do exist, such as in the EYFS profile and Speaking and Listening attainment targets, they may not provide the detailed information required. Schools may also want to look at other measures such as changes in the school development plan or parent questionnaires. purchasing an intervention. This should have a clearly researched evidence base showing that it will achieve the desired outcomes for the targeted group of children. commissioning the local speech and language therapy service, or an independent therapist to work across the levels of need. 12 Commissioning Guide for Schools: SLCN Commissioning Guide for Schools: SLCN 13

8 Whole school approach The key to success Appendices For schools with significant numbers of pupils with SLCN and where the speech, language and communication skills of children are having a significant effect on attainment, a whole school approach which supports the development of all children s SLCN may be appropriate. This approach can help to remove barriers to effective provision for children with SLCN including 15 : Lack of awareness of language development Late identification of children with SLCN Limited collaboration between health and education staff Poor integration of communicationfocused work into the curriculum Schools wanting to develop a whole school approach may want to buy in speech and language therapy to assist them in this. There are a number of ways in which schools and clusters of schools have approached this, including buying in speech and language therapy provision from their local speech and language therapy service, from an independent practitioner or from a voluntary sector organisation The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists has produced Standards for schools as commissioners 18. This document identifies the role speech and language therapists can play at all three levels. In addition, it outlines the competencies an speech and language therapist must have and the requirements of the Health Professions Council - e.g. protected title, clinical supervision, fitness to practise requirements. Learning from the A Chance to Talk programme 19 and the emerging evidence base confirms that necessary elements are: commitment and support of the school s senior leadership team policy and practice changes to ensure a focus on speech, language and communication is firmly embedded in culture and practice across school staff in school taking responsibility for ensuring teaching and learning supports speech, language and communication deploying speech and language therapy across all three levels 14 Commissioning Guide for Schools: SLCN

9 Appendix 2: Appendix 1: Audit of speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) Reception Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Y5 Y6 No. FSM No. SEN register with SLCN No. at risk of under-achieving No. children referred to SLT service (inc those discharged) Total Overall staff confidence ratings on Speech, Language and Communication Framework: Online audit tool available at: Universal/ Enhanced Level Competencies: Typical speech, language and communication development and use Identifying and assessing speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) Positive practice Speech, language and communication, and behavioural, emotional & social development (BESD) Roles and responsibilities and how services are structured Special Educational Needs (SEN) in educational settings Parents, carers, families, peers and friends EYFS N (not very) F (fairly) V (very) KS 1 KS 2 KS 3 I CAN offers training and development for school staff, further details available at:

10 Appendix 3: Examples of outcome measures Footnotes Checklists or progression tools to measure children s speech and/or language skills Questionnaires or audits such as the Speech, Language and Communication Framework to measure staff confidence in their skills and knowledge Satisfaction levels of parents/carers with how their children s needs are being met Some of the assessments used by speech and language therapists can be used as pre and post intervention measures Measures of functioning in the classroom such as: - how much topic or across curriculum vocabulary a pupil understands at the beginning and end of term - the amount and complexity of language a pupil can use in a specific task before and after intervention - the number and nature of positive social interaction skills a pupil uses Curriculum and lesson plans should show increased opportunities to learn communication skills Classroom observations can identify opportunities offered for pupils to develop their communication skills and the effectiveness of strategies used Gathering pupil views on their opportunities to learn speech language and communication skills and any additional support they require Pupil self evaluation at the beginning and end of speech and language therapy intervention, or of a communication supportive classroom initiative Engagement measures to show how much pupils enjoy lessons, how often they contribute and how much on task behaviour is apparent A case study may illustrate how speech and language therapy support impacted on engagement and behaviour Focus groups to look at the change in pupils communication skills before and after interventions and how much they understand in particular lessons. 1 Gascoigne MT (ed) 2011 Better Communication: Shaping speech, language and communication services for children and young people ISBN Commissioning Support Programme (2011) speech, language and communication needs: Tools for commissioning better outcomes 3 DCSF (2008) Better Communication: an action plan to improve services for children and young people with SLCN. 4 DfE (2012) Special Educational Needs In England, January 2012 SfR Department for Education, (2011). The Framework for the National Curriculum. A report by the Expert Panel for the National Curriculum review. 6 Ofsted (2012) The Framework for School Inspection. Manchester, HMSO 7 Ofsted (2012) Moving English Forwards: Action to Raise Standards in English 8 Gross, J. (2011) Two Years On: final report of the Communication Champion for children. 9 A Chance to Talk End of project report Jan achancetotalk 10 Dockrell J, Ricketts J and Lindsay G (2012) Understanding speech, language and communication needs Profiles of need and provision 11 Dockrell J, Ricketts J and Lindsay G (2012) Understanding SLCN Profiles of need and provision DFE-RR247-BCRP4 12 A Chance to Talk End of project report Jan uk/achancetotalk 13 I CAN Primary Talk Accreditation: 14 What Works : Interventions for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs Better Communication Research Plan: DFE-RR247-BCRP 15 Leydon J; Stackhouse J; Szczebrinski M (2011) Implementing a whole school approach to support SLC Child Language Teaching and Therapy 27 (2) Talking Point 17 Association of Independent Speech and Language Therapists 18 Guidance on quality standards for local authorities and schools as commissioners of speech and language therapy services in the UK A Chance to Talk End of project report Jan uk/achancetotalk 18 Commissioning Guide for Schools: SLCN Commissioning Guide for Schools: SLCN 19

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