1. A pathway for SLCN Maxine Burns Speech and Language Advisor

2. Early years; a critical period
Good vocabulary at months, predicts good reading accuracy and comprehension five years later (Darby, 2016)
Children with unexplained language disorders have higher social, emotional and behavioural problems, with 88% failing to achieve early curriculum targets (Norbury, 2016)
Nearly three quarters of pupils with SLCN as a primary need do not achieve a good level of development (GLD) at the end of the EYFS.

3. The right pathway challenge
No clear dividing line between delay and disorder
No ‘single point in time’ assessment will get it right
Lots of late talkers will catch up UNLESS they have additional risk factors:
Low socioeconomic factors; broader vulnerability
Parental education
Familial history of neurodevelopmental conditions such as DLD, dyslexia, autism
Early complex needs diagnosis
Narrowing the gap is difficult
Stability of language from school age
Shifting the distribution curve along rather than shifting children up
Think less about standard scores and more about readiness at different ages and stages

4. Integrated approach: education, health & care
Specialist
Individualised package
Targeted
Evidenced; time limited; tailored to needs; monitored
Universal
Skilled & confident staff; quality first provision for language; informed parents
A few children at time intervals agreed according to need, potentially indefinitely
Integrated approach: education, health & care
10% of children
Some children for periods of time
Up to 50% of children
All children all of the time

5. TCT provision to regions
Initial ‘induction’ training session
What does a good pathway look like
How does my setting measure up
Free Level 3 qualification
Deepening workforce knowledge
Creation of Local Action Communication Leads
Input to 1 action learning set per region
LA audit of existing pathway
Gaps analysis; best practice examples
Critical friend input to action plan to plug gaps

6. What could good look like?
Key feature
What it could look like
Don’t see SLCN in isolation
SLTs are integrated into educational settings. They go where the children go.
Joined up
Integrated commissioning. LA/NHS commission core, add-ins directly from schools/settings
Strong local leadership
A working LA policy for children’s SLC and SLCN. Engagement from local stakeholders e.g. MPs
Workforce development
A rolling programme of evidenced training, Communication TAs, identified SLT for each school/setting
Relationships and communication
Systems that foster close relationships between educational and health colleagues
The role of SLT is critical
Clear and appropriately present at each level of the 3-tier model while ensuring SLC and SLCN is everyone's business
Co-production
Collaborative development of the SLCN pathway
Making the case
Prevalence and impact data at a population level

7. Get involved
Apply to have support from TCT with your local SLCN pathway
Identify possible Local Action Leads who could commit to completing the Level 3 Award
Get in touch with people who know more about regional and local action learning sets
Contact us to hear more about the pathway training