Tools for Schools
Below are links and resources to support Early Years staff when supporting children with Speech, language and communication need challenges.
Please refer back to the Annex Section 2: Early Years Foundation Stage: ‘Ordinarily Available Inclusive Provision’ guide and specifically Early Years Communication and Interaction (ordinarily available) section for a wealth or strategies and links to further resources.
Developing practice:
- Communication environment evaluation tool (Word, 22KB) – Audit your setting to help identify effective elements of your environment in supporting all children’s speech and language development, and identify actions for your setting development plan
- Communication environment evaluation tool: guidance (PDF, 218KB)
- Supporting children with speech, language and communication needs (IDP1)
Part 1 of the Inclusion Development Programme focuses on supporting children with Speech, Language and Communication needs. It is relevant to all practitioners, teachers, managers and leaders working within the EYFS with children from birth to the age of five - Supporting children on the autism spectrum (IDP2)
Part 2 of the Inclusion Development Programme focuses on how you can develop your practice to support children with social communication difficulties, including those on the autism spectrum - Every Child a Talker (ECaT) – Guidance for early language lead practitioners
- I CAN – Help to support young children’s communication skills
- Supporting children learning English as an additional language – Advice and guidance to meet the needs of all children where English is not the dominant language
- Talking Point – Resources and research to support young children’s communication skills
- The Communication Trust – Resources to support speech, language and communication development
- National Literacy Trust: Early years sector – Supporting the development of early language and communication
- Universally speaking – Stages of communication development for children aged 0-5.
Information to share with families:
- Improving speech and language – Information from Family Assist on giving babies and young children a head start on learning to talk
- Dummies and child speech development – Information from Family Assist about using a dummy and the effects on speech development
- Words for life
- Talk to your baby
Key information to support the needs of individual children:
- Speech and language monitoring tool (PDF, 37KB) – All children in early years settings will have their progress monitored using the EYFS ages and stages. For any child where their communication and language is below age-expected levels, or you have concerns about their communication and language skills, complete the speech and language monitoring tool
- Speech and language monitoring tool: guidance (PDF, 175KB) – Support for practitioners in using the monitoring tool, identifying areas of concern and what to do next
- Speech and language monitoring tool: practice strategies (PDF, 136KB) – Ideas to support children’s communication and language development after assessing their current skill level
- Speech and language therapy service referral for pre-school children
Speech and Language Setting Support (SaLSS):
The Speech and Language Therapy Service and SaLSS therapists liaise with the Early Years and Childcare advisors to ensure appropriate support is available to Early Years settings.