In 2015 I authored an evaluation of The Communication Trust‘s pilot of Platform 3 – a model of delivering the Level 3 qualification ‘Supporting Children and Young People’s Speech, Language and Communication’ via e-learning and assessment over two years for early years practitioners, on behalf of LKMco.
The Trust was granted further funding in 2015/16 to tailor the existing delivery mechanisms of the qualification to address the specific needs of childminders, whilst also remaining relevant to the wider workforce and enhancing their ability to identify and support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including SLCN.
This evaluation, written with my LKMco colleague Eleanor Bernardes, considers the extent to which Platform 3 impacted on the following four outcomes:
- The quality of early years speech, language and communication provision
- Practitioners’ effectiveness in working with children to support their speech, language and communication
- Practitioners’ effectiveness in working with parents to support their child’s speech, language and communication
- Early identification of children with delayed speech, language and communication
In addition the evaluation considers the effectiveness of the online delivery model used for Platform 3, in order to identify the factors that have supported and hindered the programme in achieving its outcomes. The report concludes with a set of recommendations arising from these findings.
You can download a copy of the report here.