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One in five children with an EHC plan has speech, language and communication needs as their primary difficulty. Yet many parents report that provision is patchy, delayed, or simply not in place.
This guide explains the legal framework and what you need to know. When you are ready to write the actual letter, SEN Letters UK generates it for you.
Speech, language and communication needs, often abbreviated to SLCN, are the second most common primary need identified in children with EHC plans in England, accounting for around one in five of all plans. Despite this, many parents of children with SLCN find that the support available in school is inconsistent, insufficient, or dependent on waiting lists that stretch for months or years.
Understanding what the law requires, what good provision looks like, and how to challenge gaps is essential for any parent whose child struggles with speech, language, or communication.
SLCN is a broad category. It includes children who have difficulty understanding language (receptive language difficulties), children who struggle to express themselves (expressive language difficulties), children with speech sound disorders who find it hard to be understood, children with social communication difficulties who struggle with the pragmatic use of language, and children with more complex conditions such as developmental language disorder (DLD) or selective mutism.
A child does not need a formal diagnosis to be identified as having SLCN. The SEND Code of Practice 2015 is clear that schools should identify needs based on how the child presents, not on whether a clinical label has been assigned.
Under the graduated approach set out in the SEND Code of Practice, schools must assess children's needs, plan appropriate support, deliver (do) that support, and review its effectiveness. This is known as the assess-plan-do-review cycle.
For children with SLCN, this might include targeted small group work on language skills, visual supports and modified language in the classroom, pre-teaching of key vocabulary before new topics, additional processing time during lessons and assessments, and speech and language therapy programmes designed by a therapist and delivered by trained school staff.
Schools have a legal duty under Section 66 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to use their best endeavours to secure the right provision. They cannot simply say they do not have the resources or the expertise. If a child's needs require specialist support that the school cannot provide, the school should be seeking advice from external professionals and, if appropriate, supporting a request for an EHC needs assessment.
Speech and language therapy (SaLT) is a specialist service usually provided by the NHS or commissioned by the local authority. If a child has an EHC plan, speech and language therapy can be specified in Section F as special educational provision, which means it must be delivered. This is a critical distinction. If SaLT is listed in Section F, it is not optional and is not subject to NHS waiting lists. It is a legal entitlement.
If a child does not have an EHC plan but has been referred for SaLT, long waiting times are unfortunately common. However, the school is still expected to implement strategies recommended by the therapist and to provide interim support while the child waits.
If your child has identified speech, language and communication needs and the school is not providing adequate support, or if your child has been waiting for speech and language therapy with no interim provision, you have grounds to escalate.
The first step is a letter to the school setting out the specific gaps in provision and requesting a meeting to agree a plan. If the school does not respond constructively, the next step is a letter to the local authority requesting an EHC needs assessment, particularly if you believe your child's needs cannot be met from the school's own resources.
Parents often underestimate how strong their position is when a child has a diagnosed or identified speech and language need and the school is providing little or no targeted support. The gap between the child's needs and the school's response is exactly what the EHC needs assessment process is designed to address.
A letter that clearly identifies your child's speech, language and communication needs, sets out what the school is and is not providing, and references the school's legal duties is the most effective starting point. SEN Letters UK generates letters for exactly this situation, whether you need to request a meeting with the school, escalate to the local authority, or request an EHC needs assessment.
SEN Letters UK writes the letter for you, professionally worded, legally informed, tailored to your child's situation.
Preview free. Full letters from £4.99, credits never expire.
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