Voluntary position becomes permanent post at Chilham and Canterbury schools

We’re delighted that following a period of volunteering with two primary schools, our fantastic therapist Nicci Gilchrist has been invited to stay on as a speech therapist under our sister company, Speech4Schools.

Supported by Speech4Kids, Nicci undertook some voluntary work with St Mary’s School in Chilham and St John’s in Canterbury in order to regain her speech and language registration following a career break. She also wanted to concentrate on the paediatric side of speech and language, having previously worked with adults. Both schools were so impressed with the impact of her work on the children she supports that they offered her a permanent contract.

Nicci volunteered with the schools for a day a week from September 2022 until Christmas. She now works for half a day each week with St Mary’s, which has a number of children with speech and language needs. As in most schools, a higher percentage of children in reception are presenting with speech and language delay in recent years following the pandemic.

The impact of limited socialisation and access to the outside world during Covid restrictions has resulted in children needing support to expand their vocabulary, and learn how to formulate grammatical sentences so that they can express their ideas.

She is currently supporting 13 children at the school. This involves formulating individual intervention plans for the teaching assistants (TAs) to follow. These brilliant staff members continue Nicci’s work with the children on the days she is not there.  

From September, Nicci will also be working one day a week at St John’s school in Canterbury, which has some pupils with very complex needs, and a high number with social issues that impact their speech and language. As with St Mary’s, many children in the early years are also facing challenges as a result of the pandemic.

In addition, Nicci also works a day a week across the Canterbury schools in the Stour Acadamy Trust. As well as seeing children individually, she also runs language groups in Watermeadows School and Sturry Primary Schools in Canterbury, where she helps children learn the foundations of language and builds their confidence to communicate, giving them the building blocks to express themselves. The groups are also a way of training TAs who can observe Nicci with the children.

Nicci comments, “I am so pleased that both St Mary’s and St John’s invited me to work with their pupils on a permanent basis. Although the children I’m helping are experiencing a number of different, often complex challenges, they are all issues that can be hugely improved by speech and language therapy.

“Involving the TAs is such an important part of the job. Unfortunately, I can’t be at the school all the time so training them to carry on the speech and language intervention throughout the week, has a massive impact, the TAs are absolutely brilliant!

“I’m hugely grateful to Sidonie at Speech4Kids. Returning to work after a career break can be daunting, particularly when it’s a different field, but with her support, I’m able to do work I love. There are so many highlights; just the other day, a pupil I work with who was born with a cleft palate and whose speech is very difficult to understand, managed to say the sound ‘d’ for the first time and was able to generalise this into saying single words containing that sound. Seeing the look on his face as he realised he was able to articulate words he has never been able to say was hugely rewarding and such a joy.”

Founder of Speech4Kids and Speech4Schools Sidonie Delaney, adds, “Communication is such a vital fundamental skill for all areas of life and our aim is to ensure that no child is disadvantaged because they cannot express themselves properly.

“Nicci is such a talented therapist and is doing some amazing work with the children. There are lots of different reasons children might have speech and language difficulties but with the right therapy, all can be addressed. It’s amazing to see pupils who have previously struggled with behaviour, learning or frustration issues become calmer, happier, more confident children, able to flourish. This is the difference therapists like Nicci are making; we’re very lucky to have her on our team.”

If you’d like to book a private appointment for your child with a member of our team, or enquire about getting help for your school, please do get in touch.

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