Integrating Private Speech & Language Therapy Services into Your School Budget
When school leaders and Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCos) see the term “private speech therapy,” they often assume the services will be too expensive for their school budget. However, commissioning private Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs) directly is a highly flexible and practical option for many mainstream and special schools. Currently, London Speech Therapy provides services to over 40 schools across London, demonstrating how accessible this model can be for educational settings.
Flexible ‘Buy In’ Options
Schools do not need to commit to a full-time, permanent staff member to access specialist support. Instead, they can ‘buy in’ an SLT’s time based on their exact requirements. This flexibility ranges, for example,from commissioning just two days per term to up to six days per week, across two therapists.
Many schools choose to buy in a regular day each week, but they also have the option to “top up” this time when their demands increase. For instance, a school might request additional days at the start of the academic year to assess a new intake of pupils, to train up new staff members, or to complete necessary annual review assessments and reports.
What an SLT Covers During the School Day
A typical commissioned day for a private SLT in a school begins at 8:30 am and finishes at 4:00 pm. During these hours, the therapist uses evidence-based practice to deliver effective interventions and manage a comprehensive caseload.
When a school commissions an SLT, the therapist handles a wide range of responsibilities, including:
- Reviewing thecurrent provision and planning for the term / year ahead
- Working with you to determine a therapy model that suits your bespoke needs as a school
- Conducting both formal and informal speech and language assessments.
- Running individual 1:1 sessions and group therapy sessions for students.
- Providing direct training for school teams and parents.
- Creating and preparing targeted therapy resources for use in the classroom.
- Completing all legally required administration, such as writing detailed reports and updating case notes.
- Attending annual reviews and Team Around the Child meetings to ensure all professionals and parents are aligned on the student’s targets.
By commissioning private services, schools can ensure their pupils receive targeted, specialist support while maintaining control over how and when their SEN budget is spent.
