Speech and Language Therapy in partnership with Words First 

Enabling schools to develop outstanding provision for speech, language, literacy and communication needs. 

BDSIP are delighted to work in partnership with Words First to provide a high-quality team of qualified and registered Speech and Language Therapists (SaLTs) to our schools. Words First have a proven track record of success in schools across London and nationally, offering an approach which integrates spoken and written communication to help bridge the gap between speaking and writing. 

 Through 15 years’ research and practice, they have created the Reading and Language Circuit Model™, which provides the framework for their approach in primary and secondary schools. Their unique assessment battery will rapidly and accurately identify any breakdown in the areas of processing that need to be intact for fluent reading and comprehension, ensuring their intervention is sensitive to the underlying problem.  

Focusing on your school priorities, Words First will: 

• Provide eight hours of Speech and Language Therapy time per day purchased. 
• Provide an agreed number of assessments using Words First’s proven Language and Literacy battery. 
• Provide support with Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) applications. 
• Provide student information sheets for parents and teachers which provide a snapshot of the student’s strengths, weaknesses and learning needs, including classroom management strategies. 
• Develop individualised programmes for an agreed number of students. 

• Facilitate small group interventions, grouping students according to need using the Reading and Language Circuit Model. 
• Provide training and supervision for teaching assistants to deliver Words First intervention programmes. 
• Provide access to all the Words First resources including Engagement with Language™ for Processing Speed and Receptive Language Difficulties, ChatterTots™ and Sound Smart™. 
• Work with your school to embed speech, language and communication (SLCN) principles into your curriculum. 
• Offer onsite staff training and professional development. 

• Run parent coffee mornings or workshops. 
• Deliver six-monthly impact reports and case studies to evaluate how your money has been spent. 
• Provide clinical supervision for your Speech and Language Therapist in line with the recommendations from the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.