Speech and Language

Balanced System

Every Kent school and setting should be working to achieve 15 Balanced System® outcomes for children and young people.

These outcomes are divided into five strands:

  1. Family support – parents have the confidence, knowledge and skills to support their role as a key communicative partner for their child.
  2. Environment – environments are enhanced to support children to understand and express themselves effectively.
  3. Workforce – the workforce is confident and competent to support children with speech, language and communication needs.
  4. Identification – speech, language and communication needs are identified early and effectively.
  5. Intervention – children receive support to help them make progress in their speech, language and communication.

And within each strand, there are three levels:

  1. Universal outcomes and the provisions that help deliver support to all pupils within your school or setting to develop their speech, language and communication skills.
  2. Targeted outcomes and resources are more directly useful for pupils and their families where there is a concern about speech, language and communication or a need has been identified already. For the majority of children or young people and their families, this level will provide enough support. Targeted provisions may be delivered by school or setting staff who have received specific training as well as by speech and language therapists where appropriate. Targeted provisions may be of benefit to pupils with complex SLCN as part of their wider support.
  3. Specialist or individualised outcomes and resources are either to support more complicated speech, language and communication needs or to provide more specialist information and help. Some children or young people and their families will need specialist level support as well as targeted and universal levels for them to make the progress they wish to make with speech, language and communication. Specialist level may not be needed all of the time and may be helpful at certain points on a child or young person’s journey.

Useful websites: 

Children’s Therapists – The Pod – Main Website – Select which Therapy service you require

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) – including Communication Boards

Early Years Language and Communication.

Reluctant-communicators

Encouraging Confident Communication

Reluctant Talker