Introduction: therapy services for mainstream schools in Southend
Therapy support for mainstream schools in Southend is provided by both Essex Partnership University NHS Trust (EPUT) and Southend-on-Sea City Council (SCC). Each organisation plays a complementary role in supporting children and young people (CYP).
- Southend-on-Sea City Council (SCC) offers universal and targeted services that aim to upskill school staff and embed evidence-based approaches across settings. These services are designed to support whole-school development rather than focusing on individual children.
- Essex Partnership University NHS Trust (EPUT) delivers services that include universal and targeted services, as well as individual assessment and intervention for CYP, and contributes to Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments where appropriate.
To help schools identify and meet the needs of all CYP effectively and early, services are offered across three levels of support:
- Universal – support for all children and young people, including general information and resources. These are valuable for school staff, families, and CYP, including those with needs.
- Targeted – support for CYP where there are emerging concerns or an identified need. This level typically offers enough input for most CYP and their families.
- Specialist – support for CYP with more complex or persistent needs. This level includes access to specialist advice, assessment, and intervention. Not all CYP will need specialist support all the time, but it may be essential at key points in their development.
We are working towards a Balanced System® approach to therapy service delivery across Southend, Essex, and Thurrock. This model supports a whole system approach to joined-up working with schools and strengthens the graduated approach for CYP with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). You can find more information about this framework on page 5.
Together, we are committed to ensuring our therapies offer to schools has an impact, and we will be monitoring this throughout the school year through qualitative and quantitative measures. We will publish an impact report in Summer 2026. If you have any feedback or comments, please contact us.
Bethan Mort - Head of SEND Therapies - bethanmort@southend.gov.uk
Jo Page - Principal Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist - joannepage@nhs.net
Maaike Moylett - Clinical Manager for Children's Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy - maaike.moylett@nhs.net