There have been some developments in guidance and advice to schools which on balance would seem to improve the support for children who stammer. In this briefing I will describe the new developments in Special Educational Needs provision (SEN) and follow it up in the next edition with those in the disability equality agenda.
By Cherry Hughes, BSA education officer

Commitments have been made by the government in response to the Education and Skills Select Committee's report on special educational needs on 11 October 2006. The response welcomes the report and reaffirms the Government's commitment to long-term action to improve provision for children with SEN and/or disabilities through its SEN strategy, removing barriers to achievement (published in 2004). This must be good news for our children and young people, as it emphasises the importance of support for pupils with speech, language and communication needs.

Training programme for school staff

'BSA would be very much helped if all the speech and language therapists out there with a commitment to stammering could ensure that any colleagues approached to provide training definitely include stammering'

The Government's response sets out the action it will be taking over the next three years as part of its SEN strategy to address issues raised by the education and skills committee. The main focus of that action is to improve training, with commitments given to:
put in place, from 2006/07 a national programme of continuing professional development through the national strategies, focusing on:
speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and dyslexia.
autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)
behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD)
moderate learning difficulties (MLD)

Activity will focus initially on SLCN and dyslexia. Other types of need will follow, beginning with ASD and BESD, ahead of which a pack for teachers on autistic spectrum disorders will be developed.

Strengthening the role of SEN co-ordinators (SENCOs) in schools

Schools will be expected to name a teacher with lead responsibility and for that person to be a member of the senior leadership team. Regulations will set out the role, responsibilities, training and experience required for the coordination of provision for children with SEN, following advice from the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). The TDA will also advise on the development of nationally accredited training for all those new to the role of SENCO. (Most schools have already achieved the naming of a teacher, but the emphasis on training is significant, as is the recognition that this colleague ought to be a member of the senior management team)

Helping children who stammer

The fact that speech, language and communication needs are actually mentioned at all in this government response is very significant for our children, particularly as it is connected with a training programme of continuous professional development. However, we cannot assume that all of these programmes will include dysfluency, as so often the focus is on the other problems, such as dyslexia. The BSA will do all it can to raise the profile of stammering in this context but we would be very much helped if all the speech and language therapists out there with a commitment to stammering could ensure that any colleagues approached to provide training definitely include stammering.

Copies of the Government's response to the Education and Skills Committee report on special educational needs Cm 6940 can be obtained from The Stationery Office, PO Box 29, Norwich NR3 1GN (Tel 0870 600 5522) or online at www.tsoshop.co.uk Type 6940 into the search function.

From the Spring 2007 issue of 'Speaking Out', page 15