Community Space: London School Project
Building Communities of Care (London School project)
In this Research England-funded project, the University of Reading’s Clinical Language Sciences partnered with a school in East London to enhance support for children with speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN).
This initiative focused on addressing the needs of families and students in under-resourced, marginalised communities where access to specialised support is often limited. These students frequently encounter barriers to academic success and emotional well-being due to undiagnosed or unsupported language difficulties.
The project focused on the following areas:
Understanding SLCN Impact on Academic and Emotional Well-being
Through focus groups involving children and their families, the project explored the multifaceted ways SLCN affects academic performance, confidence, and social development. By gathering narratives from families, the project gained an in-depth understanding of the challenges faced by students with SLCN, highlighting aspects often overlooked in traditional educational settings.
Building Community Capacity for Trauma-Responsive Education
Recognising the unique needs of economically and socially disadvantaged communities, the project designed supportive strategies for children’s language, literacy, and emotional resilience. The workshops aimed to bolster community capacity and foster a supportive creative environment that provided parents and children a safe space to be.
The Value of Community-Led, Culturally Responsive Support
Diverse student population, including children from Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic (BAME), and Roma backgrounds, often face unique educational barriers. Traditional models of speech and language therapy may not fully reflect the needs of these groups, so this project sought to apply culturally responsive practices that focuses on the creative language use of children. The project demonstrates the efficacy of a community-centred, interdisciplinary approach to SLCN support in low-resource settings. By involving families and educational staff directly in the support process and prioritising culturally relevant resources, this work highlights the potential for environments where children with SLCN can thrive academically and emotionally.