Whole-setting training and accreditation for special settings

• 1

  TAs and Teachers

  A minimum of two TAs and two teachers, one of whom is the SENCO or is on the senior leadership team, complete Communication Support for 0-25s with Complex Needs, Communication and Language Support for Autistic Pupils or Speech and Language Support for Pupils with SLD. The TAs achieve accreditation at Level 3.

• 2

  Teachers

  The teachers who completed the course will be equipped by our Elklan tutors to train all the staff in your setting. They are known as Lead Communication Practitioners (LCPs).

• 3

  All staff

  The LCPs deliver five one-hour-long sessions to ALL staff in your setting – this is called Communication Counts. Evidence of embedding the strategies will be confirmed by a visit from a peer or an Elklan Tutor at the end of the programme.

Accreditation can be achieved in one year and can be renewed after three years. It is the most cost-effective strategy available for whole-setting capacity building in communication.

We'd welcome an opportunity to discuss how your setting can become Communication Friendly.

Elklan hosts regular Q&A webinars for schools and settings interested in gaining Communication Friendly status. Click on one of the dates below to book your free place.

If your setting has already achieved CFS status and you would like more information about the renewal process, please visit the CFS Renewal section (below).

Communication Counts is a course written by us which your Lead Communication Practitioner delivers to all the staff in your setting, including any administrative staff or lunchtime supervisors, in fact, anyone who speaks with the pupils! We provide the teaching notes, mentoring and resources to facilitate this and support LCPs to achieve Level 4 accreditation. Your LCP won’t attend another course but will analyse the embedding of the training in your setting and evaluate the impact on staff practices and pupil learning.

The five sessions cover:

• Communication Steps
• Creating a Communication Friendly Setting
• The development of symbolic understanding and the link with language and communication
• Using objects, pictures, signs and symbols
• Means, reasons and opportunities

Please contact us for up to date pricing information.

If you wish to undertake Elklan's CFS programme, please contact us.

If you have any questions please book onto a Q&A Webinar

Settings who have completed level 3 training

Settings which have completed required Level 3 training and are ready to commence their CFS journey can do so by asking their Lead Communication Practitioner(s) (LCPs) to select one of the available level 4 Communication Friendly Special Settings course options below. Please note that course places will not be confirmed until approved by a member of Elklan staff. Elklan may require confirmation of eligibility before proceeding.

Accredited Online Training

Accredited Online Training

Accredited Online Training

Please note these courses are only for those settings who do not already have their own Elklan tutor. If you have an Elklan tutor already, please contact them directly to discuss your next steps.

You can talk to your local Elklan Tutor about how to renew your CFS status, or contact us.

The course content has been described by teachers as "high quality teaching in a nutshell". Training ancillary staff in communication strategies enables better behaviour management.