Speech, Language and Communication

Supporting, speech, language and communication (SLC)

At Hillside, we understand how important speech, language, and communication skills are for every child’s learning, emotional wellbeing, and social development. These skills are the building blocks for success at school and beyond — helping children to build friendships, express their needs, and achieve their potential.

What is Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)?

Speech, Language and Communication Needs is the term given to describe the wide range of needs relating to all aspects of communication – this includes; understanding others' spoken language, producing sounds, forming words and sentences, expressing thoughts and feelings and using language in a social context.

There are many different types of speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). Some examples are:

Difficulties understanding language: Such as struggling to follow instructions, or understanding what words mean.
Expressive language difficulties: Difficulty using language to communicate.
Speech sound disorders: Difficulty producing speech sounds correctly.
Stammering (Stuttering): Disruptions in the flow of speech.
Social Communication Difficulties: Challenges with using language in social contexts, such as understanding non-verbal cues or taking turns in conversation.

What is the difference between speech, language and communication?

Speech refers to:

Accurately producing sounds to form words
Processing speech sounds
Being able to speak fluently with few errors, hesitations or repetitions

Language refers to:

Speaking, known as expressive language – using words to convey meaning
Understanding, processing and making sense of spoken language

Communication refers to:

Non-verbal communication - eye contact, gestures, body language etc.
Using language to interact with others – speaking and listening
Being able to use language purposefully in different contexts, e.g. to question, describe, explain etc.

How we support your child

At Hillside, we are using the Balanced System® to help everyone work together to support children’s speech, language and communication. This means everyone involved in a child’s life can work together in a more joined up-way with the speech and language therapy service.

The Balanced System – a great resource for support with Speech, Language and Communication

We work closely with our NHS link speech and language therapist, who regularly visits our school. They support us to review and develop our approach, advise staff, and work with individual children or small groups where needed.

Our Commitment – The Five Strands of the Balanced System®

We are working to ensure that

We help parents and carers build the confidence, knowledge, and skills to support their child. Children are also encouraged to make choices about the support they receive (Family Support)
We create communication-friendly classrooms and learning spaces where every child can understand and express themselves (Environment)
Our staff are trained to spot speech, language, and communication needs and know how to support pupils effectively (Workforce)
We identify any needs as early as possible, so children get the help they need quickly (Identification)
Where needed, we provide specific support to help children make progress (Intervention)

Levels of Support Available

Every child benefits from support at different levels. Some may need more targeted or specialist help at times in addition to universal support:

Universal Support - For all children. For example, using visual aids, clear instructions, and communication friendly teaching strategies.
Targeted Support – For children who need extra help. This could include small group work or pre-teaching key vocabulary.
Specialist Support – For children with more complex needs. For example, therapy for a child with a complex speech sound disorder.

If You Have Concerns

If you have any concerns about your child’s speech, language or communication skills, please speak to your child’s class teacher. We will then work together to agree on the next steps.