St Nicholas school have an onsite therapy team consisting of:
Beth Gentry-Hobson
Highly specialist Speech and Language Therapist
Therapy team lead
Shermeen Ahmed
Speech and Language Therapy Assisstant
Olivia Murphy
Speech and Language Therapy Assistant
The in house therapy team (above) provide Universal and Targeted support to the whole school, and specialist support to children in Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3. NHS SALT team provide support to those children in Years 4, 5 and 6.
For more information on this balanced model please see ‘how the SALT team work at St Nicholas School’ section below
The communication tree is a great visual to show how language develops from the roots up to the leaves. It is important to see what level our child is at in able to accurately support their needs. Skills at the roots, like engagement and play, must be worked up before we can proceed up the tree.
At St Nicholas school children we use a ‘total communication environment’ to help support all students develop communication at whatever level they are currently at. Students use a variety of communication devices including speech, communication boards, PECS and high-tech AAC.
The SALT team support students communication from play and interaction all the way up to speech and pronunciation.
We remember the means, reasons and opportunities model when supporting students.
To grow the tree needs water (a means) sun (a reason) and oxygen (an opportunity.
Means refers to how we communicate and having a shared language, this may be speech but also may be singing, communication boards or a high tech device. Reasons referring to what we want to say eg making a choice. And opportunity refers to when, where and with who.
Children at St Nicholas school are supported through advice, training, parent advice clinics, a total communication environment as well as specialist and communication groups. Children’s communication is supported by the balanced system mode, different levels of support are outlined in model below.
Moving from specialist to targeted and/or universal is not about discharging a child; it is about looking at how their needs are best met, Specialist level interventions cannot and should not happen in isolation - it is not in the best interests of the child.
At St Nicholas school children we use a ‘total communication environment’ to help support all students develop communication at whatever level they are currently at.
Total communication expectations
- Timetable symbols including subjects and days of the week
- Now and Next Boards in classroom and portable whiteboards with every member of staff
- Zones of Regulation boards in the classroom and with every member of staff. Each classroom has a zones bag to support regulation and understanding
- Specific communication boards in every area of school including outside areas and toilets
- Symbols on the doors to support functional requesting
- Behaviour management cards
- Signs and symbols in the classroom as signage around school
- Lanyards for key symbols- all staff to wear at all times.
- Each classroom door also has a sign containing the names and pictures of all of the children and staff based within that classroom.
- Aprons worn by all staff to hold communication resources
- Makaton signing throughout the day
- Communication boards for specific classroom activities/lessons
- SALT Team auditing classrooms and school to ensure consistency
How we support staff
- Rolling training programme on all areas of communication such as PECS, Intensive Interaction, Attention Autism, Blanks levels and receptive language, GRID3, Play etc.
- Makaton training is offered in house with our Makaton Tutor. We have ‘signs of the week’ on boards across school.
- New starters will be required to attend an 8 week block of training with the SALT team on a variety of areas of communication and interventions to be carried over into the classroom.
- Some staff Elklan trained; SALT Lead is Elklan Tutor
- Demonstrating activities in groups and 1:1 for specific interventions and targets. Problem solving with staff on how this can be carried over and imbedded into the daily timetable.
- Support to each class for at least 3x termly for a full session with the SALT team on delivering their individualized communication groups and providing resources to support these if needed.
- The referral process into/back-to SALT and specialist level support is through our advice clinic. This is so the therapist can meet with the parent/carer to discuss their concerns as well as speaking to school staff, to then decide what level of support is best needed for the child and to give strategies on how to support them in school and at home. This is an opportunity for all parents to meet with the therapist to discuss any concerns or seek strategies to work on communication strategies at home/EHCP queries.
- Advice clinic runs once a term and all parents are invited to book on.
- The SALT team also run monthly training during a coffee morning on all areas of communication and sensory feeding.
- Personalised resources can be made up by our team and sent home.
- The SALT team also do home visits to visit children and families at home.
- Joint target setting with families.
- We are an onsite therapy team so can be contacted any time via Arbour for any support or queries.
PLEASE FIND DATES OF THE NEXT ADVICE CLINIC ON THE SCHOOL NEWSLETTER!!
Working with others:
- SALT and St Nicholas School work collaboratively on supporting children and young people with behavioral needs and SEMH by identifying their SLCN, advising their families and professionals working with them on how to respond appropriately, and providing advice and guidance for ongoing support.
- All behavior is communication.
- We support children in crisis by providing them with strategies and tools to communicate and contribute towards an individual child’s behavior plan.
- Zones of Regulation approach across the school imbedded by SALT.
- The SALT team also work collaboratively within the large multi-disciplinary team, including; OT, community pediatrician, family liaison, social workers, ENT, Drs, physiotherapists as well as teaching staff.
