It is well established that the number of children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) is increasing, with over 25% of children with SEND in primary schools having SLCN as their primary need.
Findings from Speech and Language UK Listening to unheard children - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives stated ‘ For Children who struggle to talk and understand words, their whole lives are affected.
- ● They are six times more likely to be behind in English at age 11, and
- ● eleven times more likely to be behind in maths at age 11.
- ● They also have more mental health problems,
- ● and are twice as likely to be unemployed as an adult.
This report identified 9 key areas for making a sustained change to ‘address the estimated 1.9 million children who are behind with talking and/or understanding of words’ with training a skilled workforce across the education sector as a key focus. This message is replicated in the recent report from the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education in England ‘We need to talk’ (October 2024) which details the importance of ensuring oracy is given a high priority across all education providers, providing a range of recommendations including prioritisation of oracy in the curriculum and focus on increasing knowledge of oracy and that, ‘Teacher training and development includes an understanding of Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) and strategies to support children with these needs throughout their education.’.
The SEND and AP Improvement plan (DfE, March 2023) also addresses the need to support the teaching support network with the aim to ‘develop a longer-term approach for TAs to ensure their impact is consistent across the system and the different responsibilities they take on. We want TAs to be well-trained and to be able to develop specific expertise, for example in speech and language interventions’.
In response to this, an advisory group of experts spanning the education and speech and language therapy sector was established in 2024. The aim of this group was to build on current frameworks and establish a clear pathway for practitioners within early years and teaching assistants across all education phases to develop knowledge and skills to be confident in supporting children with SLCN. However, it was recognised that there was a need to facilitate a wider and more sustained impact across schools and settings with an increase in collaboration with Speech and Language Therapists (SaLT) and SLCN services in order to make a real difference.
The Advisory Group looked at the current workforce roles of teaching assistants and Early Years practitioners who are currently supporting children. Many of them are highly trained and are already supporting children to develop their speech, language and communication needs. Therefore, the question was raised, ‘How can this experience and good practice be built upon to ensure that schools and settings provide a consistent approach to supporting speech, language and communication development and that children are not subject to a ‘postcode lottery of support’ in addressing the significant needs and the increase in demand put upon education providers?’ From this, the Higher Level Communication Practitioner (HLCP) programme was developed.
The HLCP programme is an opportunity for teaching assistants and EY practitioners to continue to develop their skills further in supporting children with SLCN and achieve a new national Level 4 qualification. The award is in recognition of a specific responsibility for supporting children and young people with SLCN, liaising with colleagues, and linking with local SaLT and SLCN services. The role sits with a more strategic viewpoint to supporting SLCN ensuring a wider impact through schools and settings. The HLCP will support SENCOs and senior leaders across education establishments to recognise the SLC need and enhance provision to make a wider impact for all children and families. With the increasing pressure and caseloads for speech and language therapists and SLCN services, having a close link with someone in school who has the knowledge and skills to support the implementation of interventions, as well as referrals makes a big difference.
The HLCP programme is currently in the pilot phase which is being delivered by Elklan Training Ltd and evaluated by Newcastle University with the vision that this qualification will be available to a joint network of validated providers to ensure high quality and consistency across the education sector. visit .
For more information on the HLCP programme or to register an interest in taking part in the qualification process and any other queries, click below:
