How we work

Speech and language therapy isn’t a magic box of tricks. We know that many children with SLCN can be supported by those working and living with them all the time.

That’s where Elklan training makes a real difference. We are about changing the way people engage with children and young people so that they can achieve their fullest potential.

Because of our experience, we understand what works. We provide a practical structure for both practitioners and parents, giving them the confidence and materials to support the children in their lives – and to enjoy seeing them progress. It’s our “train the trainer“ approach which enables us to share our expertise far and wide. The training works best when therapists and specialist teachers work together, although most commonly, therapists will train on their own with excellent results. In exceptional circumstances, specialist teachers can deliver the training without the support of a speech and language therapist.

We want to enable our tutors to run a wide range of courses. We only ask you to train once and then as a tutor you can buy the additional training manuals. This means that if you move jobs or work with a variety of ages, you can deliver the course that best suits you and the staff you are training.

Our Story

• 1998

  Elklan was set up by Liz Elks and Henrietta McLachlan, both highly experienced speech and language therapists working for Cornwall Healthcare NHS Trust.

  The county education authority wanted to train primary school teaching assistants to enable them to effectively support children's speech, language and communication in the classroom. Liz and Henrietta volunteered to help, drawing upon their own knowledge to develop, write and deliver the course. Liz and Henrietta wrote an accompanying book, Language Builders, containing all the course handouts they had devised - plus a wealth of additional ideas and strategies.

• 1999

  Local demand for the training grew.

  After successfully training colleagues in Cornwall, Elklan's first two-day train-the-trainer course was held at the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) in London. Elklan subsequently gained accreditation as a training centre, and the number and range of courses grew in response to demand.

• 2005

  Elklan work expanded into Ireland and the Falkland Islands.

• 2011

  A large grant was provided to Elklan by the Department for Education to develop our Communication Friendly Settings (CFS) accreditation.

• 2013

  The London Schools Excellence Fund awarded Elklan a grant to explore the impact of the Communication Friendly status in two primary and two secondary schools. The results showed progress in the children's performance and the staff confidence in supporting children's language.

• 2015

  Following the success of CFS in primary schools, a further grant was received from the Department for Education to pilot Talking Matters, our CFS programme for Early Years settings.

  Elklan was invited to be part of PINECL, an EU-funded project designed to equip parents to be educators of their peers. We provided the information parents need to know to help their children develop their speech, language and communication skills. A parents' curriculum was produced, accredited by Ascentis through Elklan, and many parents across Europe were helped to develop their skills and knowledge.

• 2017

  An independent study of Talking Matters led by Sheffield University showed that children had made 8 months of progress in 6 months through training alone!

  Elklan was approached by Professors Charles Hulme and Maggie Snowling of Oxford University to assist them in delivering training to school staff involved with the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI). Henrietta helped to co-write the training materials and our Elklan tutors were part of a large study conducted by the Education Endowment Fund (EEF) into the efficacy of the intervention in improving children's communication. The evidence obtained has helped to ensure that NELI is now being provided as part of the Department for Education's strategy for schools emerging from the COVID crisis. We are proud of our continuing involvement in this project.

• NOW

  Over 3,500 Elklan Tutors and more than 80,000 professionals, parents and carers have received Elklan training to help children, young people and adults in mainstream and specialist education, within youth offending institutions, prisons and vulnerable situations, or using Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC).

  While most work in the UK, our expanding network of Elklan Tutors covers 35 countries worldwide.

  Our courses are not only accessed by individual schools and settings but are also commissioned by the Department for Education and local councils to support programmes to improve children's social mobility.

  Elklan CIC which is affiliated to Elklan is a member of The Communication Trust.