Yes.  The secondary school employs 3 full-time SLTs and an additional therapist works at the school in the evenings, during the week.  Two of the therapists are qualified specialists.

Often we will have received information from Local Authority colleagues and will have met children during the assessment  procedure for prospective pupils.  All new pupils are seen for screening, shortly after they start at the school, on the basis of this information and observation,  full assessments may be carried out.  Comments are then given to the Form Tutors, with recommendations for activities that could be of benefit during Form Times, (such as listening games using specific sounds, group discussions, etc).  Some pupils begin regular SLT immediately, some pupils are placed on a review list, and others may be found not to require SLT at all. 

Each pupil attending SLT works through an individual programme,  in order to attain specified short-term target (which are set in discussion with them). The audiologist is consulted in order to ensure that all speech and listening targets are appropriate.

SLT sessions require commitment to attendance, motivation, good timekeeping, etc, for pupils to gain the maximum benefit. 

Our aim is to develop listening skills, understanding, spoken language and areas of intelligibility, such as specific speech sounds, intonation, dynamic range of voice, etc.

We also cover the development of social skills and more advanced language abilities, such as use of ambiguity, idioms, inference, etc.  We also work with pupils who have  specific disorders such as speech dyspraxia, word-finding,  processing difficulties and specific language impairment.  As a department, we are willing to consider offering help with anything that a pupil perceives as impairing ease of communication.

At Mary Hare, pupils are seen before or after school, and during Form Times, lunchtimes and assemblies.  SLTs are also involved in delivering English lessons to certain groups once a week, together with ToDs and TAs.  This may involve  delivering listening, speaking, writing and reading skills as well as vocabulary and grammar development.

Sixth Form pupils attend SLT during their daytime study periods.  They may request help in developing their interview skills (i.e. for university),or to learn strategies for when communication, lip-reading, etc, become difficult.  Some pupils benefit from specific work related to their academic studies.

 

SLTs look to parents and carers to support the help we offer. We are available on Parent Consultation days, by phone or email, and parents are also involved  in the therapy by means of the pupil’s SLT book. 

All staff at Mary Hare School share a responsibility for helping the pupils to improve their communication skills, both during lessons and during out-of-school hours.  Some pupils are also supported by TAs during Prep.

The SLTs currently have contact with 17 Cochlear-implant teams, many of whom visit the school, although (depending on distance, etc), some of the contact is by telephone. We routinely receive copies of reports from the teams when a pupil has attended a review with them.  Our aim is to work closely with the teams, implementing their recommendations  as far as possible within the constraints of the school timetable.

 

The SLT department currently runs two cochlear-implant groups.