Helping Students Settle into the New School Year
As the summer draws to a close, young people across the country head back to school with a mix of emotions and experiences. For some, this autumn might bring a new teacher, new subjects or a new schoo …
What do Speech and Language Therapists Do?
When looking into getting help for a child, it can be difficult to know who to approach for advice. It can be hard to identify what the problem is, which makes it harder still to know who is best plac …
Anxiety and Hyperactivity: A Teacher's Guide
Mental health, how we think, feel and regulate our emotions, is something that we all have. Just like our physical health, mental health is something that can deteriorate at different points in our li …
Developing Oracy Skills at Key Stage 2 with Speech Therapy Strategies
This week Minister for school standards Robin Walker acknowledged phonics is crucial to reading development but ‘learning to decode words is just one element of becoming a fluent reader. Without a sol …
Top-tips to start using Makaton signing in your classroom
As a speech and language therapist and qualified early years teacher, if I were to choose a communication tool that enhanced the learning environment for all children, it would be Makaton. Let me set …
Could poor communication skills be holding students back in maths?
With hundreds of pupils starting school with poor speech and language skills and even more children struggling with basic social skills, there is no wonder we are seeing the impact this has on other a …
5 things teachers ask me about Auditory Memory
Difficulties with Auditory memory can have a significant impact on a pupil’s ability to attend and learn at the same rate as the rest of their class. I have worked as a speech and language therapist f …
The Forgotten Children Scandal – A Review
On the 18th July 2018, the House of Commons Education Committee put together their review of alternative provisions (APs) in the UK and the difficulties around providing education for children not in …
How do you measure the impact of speech and language therapy?
When “he’s doing really well” just doesn’t cut the mustard. Here’s the thing, without evaluation, it is impossible to know whether an intervention is having a positive impact on learning. It can be te …
How do pupils learn to read?
The strategies for success Learning to read and write is something all of us have gone through and will be a key point of learning for every child. I don’t know about you but the process of how this a …