SLCN in Your Inclusion Strategy - Speech & Language Link

Your Inclusion Strategy starts with Speech and Language!

Cover of our Inclusion Strategy special edition of The Link magazine Speech, Language and Communication underpin every aspect of inclusion. They are essential for accessing the curriculum, developing literacy, expressing needs, regulating emotions and building relationships. Pupils with communication difficulties may struggle to follow teaching, demonstrate what they know or participate fully in school life. This can contribute to poor behaviour, low motivation and social and emotional challenges, while the underlying communication needs may remain unrecognised.

Watch out for our Link magazine Inclusion Special Issue landing in your school from 24th September, and see below for all the ways we can help with implementing speech & language support within your strategy.

SLCN Inclusion Readiness Checklist

The Inclusion Readiness Checklist helps you to reflect on how consistently SLC needs are understood and how pupils’ needs are identified and supported across your school or setting. Your scores will then be converted to reflect the key areas highlighted by the Department for Education in the inclusion strategy template, helping you to understand your strengths and areas for development in planning your inclusion strategy.

SLCN Inclusion Webinar

Join Kate Freeman, consultant in speech and language in education as she talks about speech, language and communication in the context of inclusion. Submit your questions in this one hour Zoom webinar on Wednesday 30th September at 4:00 PM. SLCN Inclusion Webinar

Creating Your Strategy

The Department for Education (DfE) requires all schools in England to publish an Inclusion Strategy by 31 December 2026. The strategy
should combine local evidence, national expectations and practical planning to improve inclusion for all pupils. The DfE’s framework
includes seven principles of inclusion and a five-step approach to strategy development. Schools are expected to identify barriers to
learning and participation, select and fund appropriate activities and define the outcomes they intend to achieve. Creating your Strategy

How we can Help with Implementation

Creating an Inclusion Strategy is an important first step but making inclusion a reality happens through everyday practice. Reflecting the DfE’s focus on early identification, inclusive teaching and removing barriers to learning, Speech & Language Link helps schools put their plans into action. By combining assessment, classroom support, interventions, staff training and reporting, it provides a practical framework for strengthening speech, language and communication support and helping every pupil participate, learn and thrive. How we can Help

Trust Wide SLCN Support

Our team can help you reflect on your needs and advise on embedding SLCN support across your Trust. Trust Wide SLCN Support Learn how our support packages can help you implement tiered support in every school and make the best possible use of Experts at Hand or your own Inclusion Hub by improving the quality of referrals.

Find out about our partners at Thrive, together we help you address SLCN and SEMH which together account for over half of all identified special needs at the current SEND Support level.

The Inclusive Mainstream Fund

The Inclusive Mainstream Fund, what is it, how is it accessed, what are the DfE advice and conditions associated with it? Read our Inclusive Mainstream Fund Information or you can jump straight to the DfE information page

“…Schools will be required to publish an inclusion strategy. An inclusion strategy is a report of their activity and approaches to identify and meet commonly occurring and predictable needs within their cohort and embed inclusive practice. This activity will be funded by the school’s core funding allocations, including their notional special educational needs (SEN) budget calculated and communicated by their local authority, as well as the inclusive mainstream fund…”