Press Release – For immediate release (25.06.2013)

OUTSTANDING HOUNSLOW SCHOOL UNVEILS COMMUNICATION CENTRE FOR PUPILS WITH SPEECH AND LANGUAGE NEEDS

Edward Timpson MP, Minister for Children and Families, has opened a new on-site Communication Centre at Lampton comprehensive school in Hounslow this weekto benefit pupils with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) from across the borough.

Lampton School, a Department for Education Outstanding Academy and Teaching School, has unveiled the Michael Sterne Communication Centre offering 16 places for pupils with Specific Language Impairment (SLI)and benefitting a further 90 pupils with SLCN.

It has been named in honour of Michael’s long-standing contribution on the governing body at Lampton and in particular for his exceptional work supporting children with special educational needs.

The Communication Centre is staffed by specialist teachers, speech and language therapists and higherlevel teaching assistants. The expert team works closely with other schools in London and across the UK to implement evidenced best practice in improving SLCN provision.

Edward Timpson, Minister for Children and Families, says: “Speech, language and communication skills are bedrock skills and vital for young people if they are to succeed at school and in the workplace. I am delighted that Lampton School has built on its expertise in this area, and recent ‘outstanding’ Ofsted result, by opening the Michael Sterne Communication Centre. The Communication Centre will act as a hub of knowledge and expertise raising awareness of SLCN and helping schools across the country to develop children’s speech, language and communication skills.”

Dame Sue John, Headteacher for Lampton School, says: “It is essential that young people are supported to achieve and thrive at school. Over 1 million children and young people have some form of SLCN and in Hounslow, 50% of children are entering nursery presenting with significant speech and language difficulties.

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“At Lampton School, we are committed to meeting the speech, language and communication needs of our pupils and the Michael Sterne Communication Centre will make a big impact. We will offer bespoke support to meet the needs of individual pupils’ SLCN drawing on a wide range of programmes and interventions. Our aim is to give pupils skills and strategies that will help with their learning in mainstream lessons and we will share best practice and what works with others schools across the UK.”

In the UK, one in ten children and young people have some form of SLCN that can affect their ability to learn and achieve their potential.Some children have average or above average cognitive skills, but show significant difficulties in areas of language development; this is described as Specific Language Impairment.

Lampton School is also interested in supporting those children in the school population who have SLCN on a more partial or intermittent level, which may still affect their learning and their wellbeing.

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For further information, please contact Laura Smith or Della Bolat at Consilium Communications on 07766651366 or email / 07841 763833 or email

Notes to editors

About the Michael Sterne Communication Centre

  • The Michael Sterne Communication Centre offers places for 16 pupils with SLI funded by the Local Authority and benefits a further 90 pupils with SLCN across the mainstream school at Lampton.
  • At the Centre, schools from across the country attend specific training such as Cued Articulation Training and staff have been part of the Challenge the Gap project, working with other schools to share best practice for inclusion.
  • The centre has been named in honour of Michael Sterne, an exceptional Special Educational Needs Governor ,who has been on the governing body at Lampton School since 1995.
  • Michael’s committed to supporting vulnerable children with SEN and has represented children and parents across the country at a number of SEN tribunals.
  • Michael’s biography is available.

About Lampton School

  • Lampton is a mixed, 11-18 comprehensive school for 1409 pupils in Hounslow, London.
  • Under Dame Sue John’s leadership, the school has moved from being a low performing, unpopular school to a school that is now oversubscribed and has achieved an outstanding grading by Ofsted in all categories.
  • The SEN provision at Lampton was described by Ofsted in 2013 as exemplary.
  • Lampton featured in Ofsted’s publication of ‘Twelve outstanding secondary schools – excelling against the odds’ and has been featured in the SEN Green paper.
  • Lampton school is also a member of London Leadership Strategy and their Assistant Head, David Bartram, is LLS’ Director of Partnerships and SEN. His wider work for LLS includes supporting school to school improvement, particularly in field of SEN, across London and further across the UK.
  • Lampton is a Training School and a National Teaching School and has worked with over 200 schools across London and the UK.
  • For more information, visit

About Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN)

  • In the UK, it is estimated that 10% of all children have long term or persistent SLCN, approximately three in every average UK classroom.
  • These children can find it hard to understand what is said to them, form words and construct sentences, find the right words to express thoughts and feelings and understand the rules for social interaction and conversation.
  • Sometimes the reason has been identified but on many occasions the cause of the problem is never identified.
  • Some children have average or above average cognitive skills, but show significant difficulties in areas of language development so their difficulties are described as Specific Language Impairment.
  • In many parts of Hounslow’s borough, 50% or more of children are entering nursery presenting with significant SLCN and in primary school SLCN is the most prevalent need with challenges around identifying children.
  • A 2009 study identified that 10 out of 15 secondary students at risk of exclusion had communication difficulties. Local research commissioned in 2012 showed that a similar proportion of such pupils at risk had significant SLCN.
  • Lampton School is interested in those children in the school population who have SLCN on a more partial or intermittent level, which may still affect their learning and their well-being.