Is your education setting Communication Friendly? Do you need Elklan Training?

The Talking House has been huge supporter of Elklan for many years and have successfully delivered Elklan training to several educational settings in the Leeds areas over the past few years. The feedback from the staff has always been excellent and we know that staff come away filled with a wealth of knowledge and confidence in their ability to support their children with speech, language and communication difficulties. They are also able to communicate more effectively with other children who don’t have difficulties and enable them to also reach their potential.

As a Speech and Language Therapist who has worked in schools and nurseries for over 30 years, it is heartening to see many schools and nurseries prioritising good communication skills as the foundation for learning and social development.

In spite of this recognition, the dramatic increase in numbers of children starting their educational journey with either insufficient speech, language and communication skills or specific speech, language and communication needs means they are starting out at a disadvantage and without support, many will fail to reach their potential.

When I speak to teachers and headteachers, they tell me are struggling to identify needs and get the right support, skill up staff and perhaps most heartbreakingly, not knowing how to measure the impact of the fantastic work staff are already doing.

I tell them there is a way forward and there is help there.

I tell them they need Elklan!

So, what is Elklan?

Elklan was founded by two Speech and Language Therapists way back in the 1980s. Liz Elks and Henrietta McLaclan. They knew that, for children who have communication difficulties to reach their full potential, they needed to train up the people who are with the children all the time.

They have developed a cascading train the trainer’ approach to their training and their courses are designed to be practical, easy to understand and easy to implement. Elklan “are the national leaders in training education providers” (Elklan.co.uk) to provide high-quality learning opportunities for educators and support staff and also support in the achievement of the Communication Friendly Setting accreditation (a great way to impress Trust leaders and Ofsted!).

For me, the most important impact, is that I have seen both parents and education staff grow in confidence and enthusiasm when they see both their own and the childrens’ progress.

If you go on the website you will find something for everyone. There is a whole range of courses tailored to meet different needs. The Total Training Packs, 5-11yrs and 11-16yrs are specifically designed to help practitioners including TAs understand the processes involved in developing speech and language and give practical strategies which can be applied in the classroom. An important aspect of the training is the feedback each trainee receives from a licensed Elklan tutor.

The courses cater for all levels of knowledge from those who have no prior knowledge to accreditation for those who want a more formal qualification. Training can be delivered in person or via blended e-learning.

Yes this is exactly what we need - I’m keen to know more!

So if you are keen to find out more about Elklan and how it can make a difference to your setting, do go to the website (www.elklan.co.uk) where you will find comprehensive information on all of the courses available, or get in touch with me on hello@thetalkinghouse.co.uk .

If you would like to sign up for my latest Elklan course, email me at hello@the talkinghouse.co.uk and sign up to my newsletter for the latest details.

Make a difference to your staff and your pupils today!