Communication support at school

Also called SEN support for communication, School SLT, Communication in school without an EHCP

What a school must do for a child's communication without any EHCP, and what to ask for when it is not happening.

What it is

Most children with communication needs never have an EHCP, and the law does not expect them to. A school has duties of its own: in England, to identify special educational needs, put support in place through the graduated approach, and involve parents; across England, Scotland and Wales, to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act, including auxiliary aids; and to follow the relevant national code. In Scotland the framework is Additional Support for Learning; in Wales, Additional Learning Needs; in Northern Ireland, the SEN framework.

Support at this level is decided and funded by the school, from its own budget. That is not a lesser tier. For many children it is the right one.

Who it can help

Any child whose speech, language or communication is behind or different, including children waiting for an assessment, children with no diagnosis, children who use AAC at a level the school can manage, and children who speak but struggle with understanding, with social communication or with being understood. Also children who stammer, who are Deaf, or who are selectively mute.

It is not enough for a child whose needs are severe or complex and who is making no progress despite repeated cycles of support. That is the point at which an EHC needs assessment in England, or its equivalent elsewhere, becomes the right question.

How it works

The school identifies the need, often with the class teacher's observations and a screening tool, and puts something in place: a programme from a speech and language therapist delivered by a teaching assistant, a communication-friendly classroom, visual supports, a core board on every desk, extra processing time, a quiet space. It reviews at least termly with parents and adjusts. In England this cycle is called assess, plan, do, review.

The school can refer to NHS speech and language therapy, and many NHS services offer schools a training and advice model rather than direct therapy. Schools can also buy in independent therapy. The auxiliary aids duty means a school cannot refuse to allow a communication device on the ground that it is equipment.

Getting started

Ask the SENCO (ALNCo in Wales, support for learning teacher in Scotland) for a meeting and bring three examples of what you see at home. Ask what the school has identified, what it is doing, who is doing it and when it will be reviewed. Ask for it in writing; vague support cannot be reviewed.

Ask specifically for the classroom changes that cost nothing: a visual timetable, wait time, a core board, a communication passport shared with every adult who works with the child. If the child uses a device or app at home, ask for it to be used in class and for two adults to be shown how. Fiducia Talk runs in a browser on the classroom tablet, free, so there is no purchasing barrier to the school starting.

If two or three review cycles produce nothing, ask about the next step, and in England you can request an EHC needs assessment yourself.

Where to get help

IPSEA for the law in England, Special Needs Jungle for the practice. Speech and Language UK runs a free helpline for families and a programme for schools. Afasic supports families of children with speech and language difficulties. nasen and NAPLIC support the school staff. See also communication in the classroom.