Newsletters

Dear Tonbridge and Malling schools and settings,

I hope this email finds you well as you approach the end of Term 6.

T&M STLS Premises Move: The team and I are packing and getting ready to move from The Oaks to Long Mead Primary School and I wanted to ensure that some important information was shared with you before this. We will be moving during the w/b 15^th of July 2024 and as such, we will be unavailable and ‘off-grid’ over much of that week. Nexus breaks up for the summer holidays on Friday 19^th of July, so effectively our last ‘working’ day will be Friday the 12^th of July, except for emergencies.

Our contact details and address from September 2024 will be:

Tonbridge and Malling STLS

Long Mead Primary School

Waveney Road

Tonbridge

TN10 3JU

Tel: 01732 350601

 For the avoidance of doubt, our e-mail addresses remain unchanged.

School and Setting Contact Details: Should any of your school or setting contact details or staff change over the summer please can you be sure to let Emma Holt emma.holt@stls.nexusschool.org.uk know so that we can update our contact details and distribution lists and keep you all in the loop.

STLS Resources and Books: If there are any schools or settings that have STLS resources and books on loan from our Lending Library, please can these be returned by Friday 12^th July (no questions will be asked!) at the absolute latest so that they can be accounted for and included in the move. If you have any queries regarding this, please contact Emma emma.holt@stls.nexusschool.org.uk.

LIFT and Training Offer for 2024/25:  This information has been emailed to you and will also be available at STLS Services & Information - Nexus School.  

Please note that there will be some venue changes for LIFT groups next year. 

• EY Malling 1 and SA Malling A LIFT meetings will move to Long Mead school

• EY Malling 2 and SA Malling B LIFT meetings will be held at Ditton Community Centre.

Further details will be on the LIFT schedule sheet and reiterated in Emma’s LIFT reminder emails.

Our STLS Core Training offer remains focussed on the Autism Education Trust training but our extensive bespoke training offer is available to schools and settings. If you would like more information, please look at our website or contact Emma at emma.holt@stls.nexusschool.org.uk.

Transition Updates: The team have been exceptionally busy over the past couple of terms supporting schools, settings, parents and pupils for Phase Transfer Transitions.

Thank you to you all for your support in these events – they will only ever be effective if everyone participates. As you are all aware, transition is one of the nine areas of focus for the Local Authorities Ofsted Action Plan and we have to share this data with them as part of our Local Activity reporting.

The following events have taken place on top of individual transition meetings:

Early Years to School:

• Tonbridge EY to school ‘speed dating’ event  9 May 2024 (schools, settings)

• Malling EY to school ‘speed dating event’ 23 May 2024 (schools, settings)

• Early Years Reception Network Group (EYRNG)  13 May 2024 (schools)

• Early Years online training day for schools 24 June 2024 (schools – over 150 attendees through the day)

Primary – Secondary School:

• SEMH transition project launch 26 March 2024 (over 300 children registered on the project this year)

• Communication & Interaction transition project 10 May 2024 (78 children registered on the project this year)

• Parents online Primary to Secondary transition information session 6 June 2024 (over 380 people joined the session)

• T&M Primary to Secondary ‘speed dating’ event 12 June 2024 (secondary, primary schools)

We are particularly pleased that our new events of the Primary to Secondary ‘speed dating’ and online Parent transition sessions were so successful and the feedback so positive and encouraging. We will be looking to improve and grow these events for next year and possibly include an EY to School parent online information session.

STLS Surgery Data 2023/24: We have had our T&M STLS surgery model in place for well over a year now and hopefully most of the teething problems and queries from schools and settings, have been ironed out. I think that the data below highlights how our new ways of working are allowing our team to support settings, schools and ultimately children in a far more responsive way than the traditional LIFT/individual case list work. This was also reflected in the Tonbridge and Malling feedback comments from the STLS impact survey that was shared with us from the LA. All indications are that with the new LA Localities Model this surgery offer will continue and grow, especially as the complexity and volume of children within our mainstream provisions increases.

Tonbridge and Malling Surgery and Consultation Data 2023/24 Academic Year

Farewell: 
Last but not least, we would like to say farewell to our very own T&M royalty, Kate Middleton and wish her all the best as she sets out on a new adventure at the end of term.
Kate and I have worked together for many years on and off and I have always had the utmost respect for her C&I knowledge, experience and calm professional manner it has been wonderful having her as part of the T&M STLS team over the past 3 years. I know that many of you will agree and join me in thanking Kate for her support and advice  - we will miss rolling out the red carpet for you in T&M Mrs Middleton!

All that remains for me to say is thank you for your support for T&M STLS over the past academic year and may you all have a wonderful, well-deserved summer.

Kind regards

Judi & the STLS Team

Speech & Language Therapy Service West & North Kent Terms 3 and 4