We appreciate how important it is to find the right service provider for your school and therefore we’ve aimed to answer some of your questions below. If Words First sounds like the right fit for your school then please do contact Amanda@wordsfirst.co.uk – it really is as easy as a quick Zoom call to confirm our plan for Speech and Language and Occupational Therapy.

Yes. Depending on your school’s needs, we can provide one-off training or a series of workshops spread over the course of a year.

If your school has a Service Level Agreement with Words First, all training is offered within our SLA – your Speech and Language Therapist will discuss this with you when he/she agrees the plan for the year.

Many schools move over to Words First because of a previously inconsistent service which resulted in pupils not receiving the intervention/support they require. At Words First, we have worked extremely hard to develop a Company that nurtures and supports our team of Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists so that they feel valued, respected, challenged and supported in their roles. Alongside schools that make their therapists feel part of the team, we have found that staff retention has increased hugely. While there will always be movement in our team, you can rest assured that when your therapist moves on, he/she will complete a handover to your next therapist for a seamless transition.

Yes. In fact, most of the pupils we see in our mainstream schools do not have an EHCP. Depending on your requirements, your Speech and Language Therapist / Occupational Therapist will divide his/her time according to the needs of your caseload – this can be split between your EHCP pupils and those who do not have an EHCP but just need some additional support.

Yes. During our planning meeting, we will discuss how to increase the reach of your Speech and Language Therapist in school. One way is to train TAs to deliver small-group interventions. We have 6 ready-made programmes that your TA can deliver (he/she will attend our 2-day TA course for an additional cost and will receive specific training in 2 programmes) or your Speech and Language Therapist can train your TA onsite to deliver required groups. These may include:

  • Social Communication
  • Receptive and Expressive Language
  • Lego Therapy
  • Colourful Semantics
  • Talk About
  • Speech Sounds
  • Phonological Awareness.

We do not aim to be the cheapest Speech and Language / Occupational Therapy provider in the UK. We aim to offer an outstanding and consistent service that has an impact in schools. If you would like to work with Words First, it is best to give us a budget that we can work within. Amanda will then create a unique package, with targets and goals that will suit your school.

At Words First, we like to work under a Service Level Agreement with our schools. This gives you consistency and allows us to plan ahead. A Service Level Agreement stipulates the number of days per annum of Speech and Language Therapy and/or Occupational Therapy you buy in each year, with an agreed cost that suits your budget. The Service Level Agreement allows for a predictable service that will achieve the impact you’re looking for.

You may top up your Service Level Agreement by increasing your days per week or buying in ad hoc services at any point.

For schools that cannot purchase Service Level Agreements, we are able to offer ad hoc services on a day rate. You may select from our Speech and Language Therapy service or any of the services listed in our Other Service section

If you like the sound of Words First and think we would be a good fit for your school, the first step is to email Amanda@wordsfirst.co.uk. Amanda will get back to you right away to discuss your needs and how Words First can support.