Case study
South View Primary School & Pre-School wanted to respond earlier to its biggest area of need: speech and language. By giving staff a practical way to screen pupils, deliver regular intervention and track next steps, the school has made communication support part of everyday practice.
Speech and language is South View's largest area of need. SENDCo Corrine Mitcham sees early support as essential not only for learning, but also for children's confidence, behaviour and ability to communicate how they feel. The school needed an approach that could reach children from pre-school onwards while fitting into days in which teachers and teaching assistants were already stretched.
South View introduced Chatterdillo across its pre-school and primary provision. Pre-school staff, teachers and teaching assistants received the same training, while short built-in tutorials made it easy to revisit individual activities. Staff use the screener to identify needs and next steps, then deliver focused activities on familiar classroom technology. For pupils who need greater intensity, that can include short daily sessions with a teaching assistant.
One pupil arrived in early years using labelling language and received daily intervention, with Colourful Semantics at its core and other activities added for breadth. By the end of Year 2, he was mostly speaking in full sentences. He can now explain what he thinks and feels, contribute in class and put his hand up to share rather than shying away.
Corrine credits the consistency of the intervention and the teaching assistant's language modelling with helping him make that journey. Chatterdillo also lets staff return to the screener to review progress and identify the next step, helping support continue to evolve when access to external speech and language services is limited.
The impact extends beyond individual sessions. Because staff across the school have been trained, speech and language is now more visible in classroom thinking. Teachers and teaching assistants are more likely to notice a possible need, explore it through the screener and put support in place. Corrine also sees group interventions as a practical way to reach several pupils in one 10-to-15-minute slot while making careful use of staff time.
“He can now share exactly what he's thinking and what he's feeling. He can contribute in class, and the power that gives him is incredible.”
“For our teachers who are already spinning so many plates, this has brought speech and language to the fore.”
Screening and intervention from pre-school onwards help staff identify communication needs early and put support in place before they become a wider barrier to learning and participation.
Shared training and concise tutorials give teachers and teaching assistants a consistent, practical approach to modelling language and delivering targeted activities.
Helping pupils express their thoughts and feelings supports confidence, classroom contribution and the development of communication skills they can carry into later life.
South View's experience shows what can happen when speech and language becomes a shared whole-school priority. Accessible training, flexible screening and manageable interventions help staff act earlier, sustain support and give pupils a stronger voice in the classroom.
