Evaluating the Supporting Spoken Language in the Classroom (SSLiC) Programme in the Early and Primary School Settings in South-West England, UK.

Introduction:
Developed at the Centre for Inclusive Education, UCL Institute of Education in 2016, the Supporting Spoken Language in the Classroom (SSLiC) programme aims to support the development of educational practice to improve communication and learning outcomes for children by providing a forum for knowledge exchange between practitioners and researchers. There is a wealth of research in the area of Speech, Language and Communication Needs but there are still gaps in our understanding of how to apply research evidence in educational settings and the best ways to support practitioners to embed communication in their setting’s policy and practice.

Methods:
25 early years and primary school settings in South-West England took part in the study to evaluate the effectiveness of the SSLiC programme. SSLiC engages settings in a collaborative eight-month programme through access to research evidence, a comprehensive Self-assessment School Improvement Audit, an evidence-based Communication Supporting Classrooms Observation Tool and regular support from SSLiC Facilitators with educational and childhood language backgrounds. Baseline and outcome measures assessed: a) children’s engagement in learning, b) the setting’s language learning environment and c) practitioners’ confidence in supporting language learning needs.

Results:
The results of this study are yet to be collated and analysed. Development work undertaken by the settings will be written up as case studies to inform the wider community of ‘what works’ in educational settings for children.

Conclusion:
Key learning shared through the knowledge exchange partnership will be summarised. Next steps for the programme, including international applications, will be outlined.