Southend-on-Sea City Council (SCC) launched a new SEND Therapies team to boost speech, language, and occupational therapy support in local schools and early years settings.
Southend-on-Sea City Council has created a new support service this academic year focussed on universal and targeted speech and language therapy and occupational therapy. The aim of the team is to upskill schools and Early Years settings across Southend-on-Sea through a mix of training, projects and modelling of interventions.
The SEND Therapies team, made up of 7 Speech and language therapy assistants (SALTAs), 1 Speech and language therapist (SALT) and 1 Occupational Therapist (OT), has been working hard to embed high-quality universal and targeted support in our settings.
Here is a quick snapshot of what we have been up to so far:
- Verbo rollout: Our online speech and language platform is now live across all schools and many early years settings. So far, 841 screeners have been completed and over 4,000 training videos watched with 95% of staff saying it will improve their practice.
- SALTA-led interventions: 200 children took part in spring term vocabulary interventions across 14 settings, with 89% of children and young people making progress. 100% SENCOs reported they would recommend these interventions to others, and 14 more schools/settings are signed up for Summer Term, focusing on vocabulary, phonological awareness, and active listening.
- Occupational therapy support: We are offering a Summer Term Occupational Therapy one day package to help schools embed regulation breaks and create classroom environments where all learners can thrive.
- Cubbie Pilot: 5 schools are trialling the Cubbie sensory pod, a high-tech hub supporting pupil regulation. Watch this space for pilot outcomes and news of a community based Cubbie!
Want to know more? Get in touch with Bethan Mort at bethanmort@southend.gov.uk.