For 12 weeks, one day a week in spring 2026, participating schools will get a speech and language therapist and six speech and language therapy students to support the inclusion of pupils with communication needs across six classes.
This project is offered free to schools by City St. Georges University of London in collaboration with Commtap CIC.
On this page
Speech and language therapist
The speech and language therapist will:
- Support the university students – this will be the students’ first long placement.
- Lead on coaching/support for teachers.
Speech and language therapy students
Students will be in class to:
- Build up their understanding of the range of communication levels – with a particular focus on those pupils who find lessons challenging.
- Learn how to support children with communication challenges in class: what works for the pupils, and what is practical.
Additionally they will spend time with selected pupils to:
- Find out about their experiences of communication at school.
- Find out about the nature of any speech and language difficulties.
Communication symbols for supporting access
- A key element of our offer is coaching for teachers in using symbols to support lesson content. Our work in schools shows that adding a small number of symbols to lesson material markedly increases engagement and confidence of those children who are struggling.
- If your school does not already have a convenient way to add symbols to lesson materials, participation in this project will give permanent access free of charge for all staff to the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint.
Further information
Is there a cost to schools?
No, it is free to schools and fully funded by City St. Georges, University of London.
Where is this support available?
Currently this is only available in inner London boroughs including Newham.
What does the school need to provide?
- A staff contact (often the SENCo or another member of the leadership team) for day‑to‑day liaison
- Onsite induction covering safeguarding and practical arrangements
- Workspace and practical provision (e.g. passes, storage)
- Six KS2 and/or KS1 teachers willing to trial symbol support in their lessons. This method is a minimal or no extra burden on teachers’ time
- If teachers would like to use the Commtap Symbolising software, then they would need access to PowerPoint on Windows when preparing lessons
- A welcoming environment so students feel valued members of the school community
What will the university/Commtap provide?
- A qualified speech and language therapist at the school with the students to provide clinical supervision and lead on coaching/support for teachers
- Discussion of any issues such as parental consent for pupil contact, and what students need from their placement in terms of coursework/portfolio tasks
Our school is already receiving speech and language therapy support – can we still access this offer?
Almost certainly yes. We are offering support to improve the communication environment for all pupils, not individualised intervention. It is unlikely to clash with other therapy support and may well complement it. Please let any other therapist supporting your school know about this offer and connect us.
When do we need to decide?
You need to decide by 16th December 2025. Places are limited to a maximum of three primary schools.
We are interested, what should we do next?
Please contact us to express your interest. We need to get placements confirmed before the end of term in December.
Neil Thompson, City St. Georges, University of London and Commtap CIC