Shine a light updates

Excitement is building around the Shine a Light Awards 2012!

Shortlisting took place earlier this month and the judges have made their choices. Over the next week, we will be sending out invitations to the awards ceremony, which will take place at Pearson's headquarters in Strand, London on November 21st. 

We wish all the best of luck to Wyndham Primary Academy in Derbyshire which  has been selected to receive one of the following awards, either winner of Primary school of the year, a runner up or the winner of an outstanding achievement award. They have been through the Elklan school accreditation process which has helped them develop their working practises to this excellent level.
They're also delighted to announce that the celebrity host at this year's award ceremony will be television presenter Paul Ross.

Mr Ross has formerly been a journalist and radio presenter, and is perhaps best known as showbiz reporter on This Morning. He played the part of 'Mr Sit-up Britain' in the film Bridget Jones' Diary and was a contestant on Channel 4's Celebrity Come Dine With Me in 2009.

Thank you to everyone who helped us spread the word about the Shine a Light Awards 2012 and bringing in some interesting applications.

Does your nursery need help to train the staff as per Professor Nurbrown's recommendations? If so we can help

A leading voluntary coalition with expertise in speech, language and communication calls for settings, organisations, awarding bodies and local authorities to offer robust qualifications for practitioners and recommends the Speech, Language and Communication Level 3 award as a suitable solution.

The Communication Trust, a leading voluntary sector coalition, last week  welcomed Professor Cathy Nutbrown’s recommendations on the vital importance of young children’s speech and language development and the need to ensure that all early years practitioners are skilled and
knowledgeable in this area through access to robust and quality qualifications. 


Lisa Morgan, Professional Director for the Trust, said: “Every child deserves the best start in life and nurturing speech, language and communication skills supports all areas of a child’s development and
ultimately their life chances. Professor Nutbrown’s recommendations clearly highlight the role early years practitioners play in supporting and nurturing language development. 


“Evidence shows that better qualified staff lead to better outcomes for children. The Trust, since its inception five years ago, has recognised the need for formal and national qualifications to be introduced for early years staff as Nutbrown espouses. Research has demonstrated that staff often feel under-skilled and lacking in confidence in supporting children’s typical language development and recognising early when they are struggling.


We can help nurseries to train their staff to level 2 and level 3 accreditation as well as provide  other relevant training. How about 'Speech and Language support for under 5s'?

This is a highly successful accredited ten week course for under 5s practitioners.  The course has been received enthusiastically by over 7,000 learners across the UK and Europe.

What do participants receive?

·         Teaching from qualified speech and language therapists and advisory teachers. They provide training to support the communication of all children but especially those with speech and language difficulties in under 5s settings.

·        The book Early Language Builders which forms the core reading material for the course. It is full of practical advice and ideas.

·         Accreditation through Open College Network (OCN) at either level two or three, the individual chooses the level under the guidance of the Elklan tutor.

·         Support needed to write a portfolio to achieve accreditation though the Open College Network.

·         Opportunities to meet other Under 5's practitioners and receive mutual support.

Who is the course for?

This course trains Early Years practitioners working within Education, Playgroups, Sure Start projects, Day Nurseries and other Early Years settings. The course is usually taught at weekends, but can be taught at staff training days.

What is taught?

The course runs for ten sessions, each with targets you will be able to acheive by the end of the course:

·         What is communication?

·         Identify the processes involved in communication

·         Appreciate the wide range of communication problems

·         Adult child interaction and non-verbal communication

·         Understand the effect of adult-child interaction on the development of communication

·         Appreciate the importance of nonverbal communication behaviours

·         Developing play, listening and attention skills

·         Understand the link between play and language development

·         Develop strategies to promote listening and attention

·         Understanding first words and using visual strategies

·         Know how children understand their first words

·         Develop activities to facilitate the learning of basic concepts.

·         Understand how using visual information helps children learn

·         Understanding beyond simple sentences

·         Use a language scheme model which supports verbal reasoning skills, including why and how questions, inferences, sequencing, predicting

·         Practice modifying the adults' speech accordingly

·         Modifying adults' speech to help a child understand language

·         Use Information Carrying Words (ICW's) to develop understanding

·         Encouraging expressive language development

·         Develop strategies to facilitate the development of vocabulary

·         Discuss techniques to develop syntax (grammar) and narrative skills

·         Promoting effective communication and social skills

·         Identify skills required for successful social communication and share ideas as to how to promote these

·         Supporting children with unclear speech

·         Appreciate the development of speech sounds

·         Know strategies to support children with unclear speech

·         Understand the link between speech, reading and writing

·         Appreciate the importance of phonological awareness in the pre-school setting

·         Management of stammering and application of all strategies learnt

·         Have some knowledge of how to support children who stammer.

·         Present evidence of applying knowledge during everyday activities.

 We do lots more too including the award winning Hanen 'Learning language and loving it' and tailor made courses.

www.private-speech-therapy.co.uk