Tutor/assessor requirements
Tutor/Assessors must be fully qualified and experienced in the subject area in which they are delivering, details of which must be provided to Gateway Qualifications as part of the Qualification Approval application.
Tutors/Assessors should:
- be experienced as teachers and be working with children and young people with SLCNM
- within their role be part of a multi-professionals team and therefore in contact with SLCN therapists.
- have an awareness of The Speech, Language and Communication Framework developed by the Communication Trust.
The centre must provide staff with appropriate inductions and professional development (including a development plan) to ensure staff can maintain their expertise and competence for the delivery of the qualification.
The centre must ensure that staff involved with a qualification will fully understand the relevant qualification specification provided by Gateway Qualifications and will comply with its provisions.
What is the purpose of this qualification?
The DfE Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice (2015) states that one of the Four Broad Areas of Need identified as having a significant impact on outcome and progress for children and young people with SEND is that of Communication and Interaction.
The qualification was developed to improve the understanding and skills of staff supporting the development of children's and young people's speech, language and communication, including teachers and teaching assistants who have had little or no formal training in this specific area.
This qualification provides the opportunity for educational professionals, particularly Learning Support Staff such as teaching assistants to significantly improve their knowledge and skills in this area and as a consequence, work more effectively as part of the teaching and learning teams within schools and educational settings. The aspiration is that by gaining enhanced knowledge through the course, this will have a positive ripple of impact on outcomes and progress for children and young people who have speech language and communication needs.
What skills, knowledge, or understanding does this qualification develop?
Learners will develop an understanding of speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) in children and young people, the roles and responsibilities of staff supporting them, and effective practice in working with children and/or young people and their parents/carers. Learners will also develop the skills to identify speech, language and communication needs in children and/or young people and provide appropriate support.
Progression & entry requirements
Learners must have access to an educational setting where they are actively involved in supporting children or young people with SLCN, as part of the qualification assessment is related to the application of skills in an educational setting and cannot be simulated. Therefore, learners must be employed in schools or educational settings.
