A team of five NHS speech and language therapists, employed by Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, provides input to the Wyre Forest School, including the Early Years Hub.

Our work focuses on two main areas:

• communication and interaction
• feeding and swallowing

Communication:

• Our aim is to ensure that children and young people can communicate to their full potential and that their communication needs are met in order for full access to their curriculum.
• School staff, with parental/carer consent, refer pupils to us for a communication assessment.
• Pupils’ skills are regularly assessed and reviewed.
• Areas of strength and of development are identified and discussed with teaching staff.
• We agree communication targets that school staff will be working on and delivering as part of the curriculum.
• The speech and language therapists also discuss strategies and resources that staff can use when addressing these targets.

Feeding:

• Our aim is to ensure that pupils can eat, drink and swallow with minimum risk.
• School staff, with parental/carer consent, refer pupils to us for a feeding assessment.
• Assessments can be carried out and advice and recommendations provided for home and school.
• Regular lunchtime reviews take place.

Ways we work:

• Through the school and class teaching teams.
• In class observations.
• Individual assessment.
• General and specific advice.
• Training to school staff.
• Meeting with parents.
• Liaison with the wider school team, both educational and medical, and outside services to ensure that children’s needs are met, e.g. we meet regularly with class teachers to discuss progress and agree new communication targets.