I would be grateful if you could provide responses to the attached questions regarding your local authority’s role in commissioning and supporting primary-aged children who stammer attending state-funded, mainstream schools in your local authority.
We’d like to better understand the support available to pupils who stammer in schools in England.
I would be grateful if you would provide as much detail as possible to help us better support children who stammer.
1. Do you currently collect any data on the number of primary aged children who stammer within mainstream state funded primary schools in the authority area?
– Yes
– No
No. Although Devon County Council (DCC) collates data on Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) as a primary need, data regarding stammering as a specific condition is not collected by DCC.
2. If yes, please provide the most recent number of mainstream state funded primary aged pupils identified as stammering or receiving support for stammering.
N/A, see response to question 1.
3.a. How is speech and language therapy delivered in the local authority-maintained primary schools in your area? Please provide information about the speech and language therapy provision available in each local authority-maintained primary school. We specifically would like to understand whether the speech and language therapy service is delivered by the NHS, independent or other providers.
Children and Family Health Devon (CFHD) are commissioned by NHS Devon Integrated Care Board (ICB) to deliver Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) to all schools/educational settings.
CFHD have undertaken a huge transformation programme and have designed the delivery of their SLT provision based on the Balanced System Framework devised by Better Communication CIC who have helped to shape the SEND White Paper/Experts at Hand work). This includes:
- Easy Access Drop In Sessions- these are open to all families/practitioners for children under the age of 5 in Family Hubs and community venues inc. for example libraries. No referral is required.
Parents/carers are able to see a Speech and Language Therapist, gather advice/guidance and support without a referral. Those that require more specialist assessment/intervention eg stammering are linked up with a highly specialist SLT in stammering for additional support. The highly specialist SLT works in partnership with the community SLT to work with parents/carers and staff within early years settings.
- The link therapist model: every school/educational setting in Devon (DCC footprint) has an allocated link therapist. Parents/carers/staff are able to access the SLT for advice, guidance, and support in assessment/intervention. The link therapists work in partnership with the highly specialist SLTs (including those for stammering), and they work in partnership with the school link therapist to augment and strengthen the wrap around support for individual children/young people.
For more information about the Link Therapist approach please see the following webinars that were delivered to schools/settings as part of the initial engagement/coproduction:
CFHD-The-Balanced-System-and-Link-Therapist-Webinar-SO.pptx
https://vimeo.com/1119352902/919c25ebc6?share=copy
The Balanced System ® Transformation – Children and Family Health Devon
3b. What is the amount of speech and language therapy input each state funded primary school receives in hours per week?
The SLT workforce is allocated to each school/educational setting on an equitable basis based on levels of need. To find out more about how the SLT workforce capacity has been allocated to schools/educational settings, please see this video:
Using data to inform workforce allocation
4. Does the council currently fund any speech and language therapy services in maintained primary schools? If yes, please describe the commissioning arrangements.
Yes. The Council currently funds speech and language therapy (SALT) provision for a number of children attending maintained primary schools.
At the time of response, 7 children attending mainstream maintained primary schools receive SALT delivered within their school setting by an external provider. In addition, 8 primary-aged children attending maintained special schools receive SALT within their school from an external provider.
In both cases, the Council commissions and funds the provision directly with the external provider. Funding is paid directly by the Council to the provider; schools do not receive funding to commission or arrange these services themselves.
5. Do the state funded primary schools in your authority area have access to specialist support services outside the authority area for more complex cases of stammering?
Schools are able to commission additional support from outside DCC as appropriate.
6. Does the council issue any guidance regarding classroom adjustments or inclusive practice for pupils who stammer in state funded primary schools? If yes, please specify the guidance details (this may include encouraging classroom participation, assessment arrangements etc).
Inclusion and Learning/SEND have developed guidance on communication friendly environments and how to make adaptations for inclusive practice. The DCC Local Offer also promotes advice, guidance and support for stammering.
Speech, Language and Communication needs – Children, families and education
If you think your child may have SLCN – Children, families and education
Dysfluency (Stammering) – Support for schools and settings
CFHD also provide guidance, advice and strategies regarding communication friendly environments, how to make adaptations and how to ensure specialist approaches for more complex or specialist needs can be applied in the classroom.
7. What assessment has the council made of any barriers to providing support for children who stammer within local authority maintained primary schools in your area?
DCC was involved in working with Better Communication CIC and NHS Devon ICB to undertake a robust and rigorous needs assessment on Speech, Language and Communication Needs. DCC has worked extensively with CFHD and NHS Devon ICB to utilise this information to transform service design and delivery to ensure support is more accessible and place based for all children and young people including those who stammer. For more information please see the following webinars and videos:
CFHD-The-Balanced-System-and-Link-Therapist-Webinar-SO.pptx
https://vimeo.com/1119352902/919c25ebc6?share=copy
The Balanced System ® Transformation – Children and Family Health Devon
This approach is being developed further through the Experts at Hand approach.
8. Have state funded primary schools raised any concerns or requested additional support relating to children who stammer within the last three academic years? If yes, please provide a summary of the concerns raised.
Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 makes provision for public authorities to refuse requests for information where the cost of compliance would exceed the appropriate limit, which for local government is set at £450 or 18 hours of officer time.
This is because this information is not routinely collected or reported by SEND Operations. Identifying whether individual schools have raised concerns or requested support specifically relating to children who stammer would require a manual review of individual records over a three year period and would exceed the reasonable time and cost limits prescribed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Therefore, we are unable to provide this information. This response acts as a Refusal Notice for this part of your request.
9. Are there any planned developments, priorities or service improvements relating to support for children who stammer within state funded primary schools in your area?
Devon County Council do not hold this information.
Children’s Family Health Devon (CFHD) may hold specific information relating to the number of children receiving care for stammers, they are contactable on the following details:
Information Governance Team
Devon Partnership NHS Trust
Prentice
Langdon Hospital
Exeter Road
Dawlish
EX7 0NR
Email: dpt.ig@nhs.net