SEND & AP Change Programme
ELSEC
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin only
ELSEC stands for Early Language Support for Every Child, a programme that aims to identify and support children with speech, language, and communication needs.
As a Department for Education pilot project, the ELSEC team are working to consider how targeted speech and language support at an early age can improve outcomes for children and young people. The project is a collaboration between children, their parents and professionals, led by an ELSEC team made up of both health and education colleagues.
The Department for Education will collect data from the project until August 2025, although Telford and Wrekin have funding to continue to work with schools and nurseries until April 2026.
The schools currently involved are:
- Hollinswood Primary School
- Lawley Primary School
- Lawley Village Primary Academy
- Meadows Primary
- St. Luke’s Catholic Primary School
- St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School
- William Reynolds Primary School
- Windmill Primary School
The nurseries currently involved are:
- ABC Hollinswood
- Chec Mates
- Madeley Nursery School
- Oakengates Nursery School
- Puddleducks
- Woodentops
Who is the ELSEC team?
ELSEC Speech Therapy Lead: Gillian Hackett
ELSEC Education Lead: Joanne Preston
Speech Therapists: Nikki Stinton and Tracey Inniss
Higher Level Teaching Assistants:
- Donna Molloy
- Kerry Nicholls
- Laura Taylor
- Rachel White
- Wendy Marsh
- Sarah Bryan
- Rebecca Fenn
For any enquiries please e-mail: [email protected]
ELSEC for parents
At education settings supported by the ELSEC team, every child in pre-school, Reception and Year 1 will have been screened using the Talk Boost tool that assesses if a child is developmentally behind with understanding words and speaking. The tool enables the team to determine whether a child would benefit from being in the small, targeted group for Talk Boost intervention, a structured programme that can boost a child's communication.
The current wait time for a speech and language appointment is significant and, although being part of the ELSEC programme will not speed this up, it is just one of strategies schools and nurseries will use to help your child with their language skills.
What is Talk Boost?
Talk Boost is an intervention that is run three times a week over 9-10 weeks. It involves:
- Small group sessions led by specially trained staff, three times a week
- A weekly whole class activity led by the class teacher
- Parent workshops for children in Nursery or Reception
- A weekly story to be shared with families
Specifically in the Early Talk Boost programme, there are lots of practical resources including instruments, toys and characters, Jake and Tizzy.
Parents and carers will have been made aware if a child is part of a Talk Boost group and may have been invited to a parent workshop. Updates on a child’s progress should be provided by their school or nursery.
You will have been made aware if your child is part of a Talk Boost group and may have been invited to a parent workshop too. For more information about Talk Boost, please follow the link:
Talk Boost - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives
Speech and Language UK has lots of advice, support and ideas for parents.
Resource library for families - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives
ELSEC for professionals
The ELSEC programme brings together Education and Health to build capacity amongst schools, settings and parents to improve the outcomes for children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).
Locally, the ELSEC team are using Talk Boost as the main intervention to identify and support children with language needs in pre-school, Reception and Year 1. Additionally, they offer a dedicated Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) for intervention, training and support, and a specialist teacher or speech therapist leading communication audits and parent workshops at every education setting involved.
Overall aims of the programme include:
- Early intervention to address SLCN, increasing life outcomes for children and young people.
- To increase capacity amongst school and nursery staff to meet the needs of children with SLCN.
- Increased understanding of, and access to, the universal offer for parents to support their children with SLCN.
- A reduction in the number of speech and language referrals so that the most appropriate referrals can be seen in a timely manner.
For termly updates, please find the SEND newsletter here
Resources for Speech and Language Needs
This range of resources are useful for finding out more information and supporting both parents and professionals.
NHS Speech and Language website in Telford and Wrekin: Speech & language therapy
Speech and Language Support for parents from NHS: Speech, language, communication needs
Speech and Language UK:
Help for families: Resource library for families - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives
Help for schools and settings: Resource library for educators - Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives