The first of four broad areas of need in the SEND Code of Practice. It covers learners who have difficulty in communicating with others — speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), autism spectrum conditions (ASC), or both.
For some learners this looks like difficulty saying what they want to say or finding the right words; for others, difficulty understanding what is being said or what is meant socially; for many, both. Some learners are non-speaking. Communication needs co-occur with sensory needs and with anxiety more often than not.
How NEO is designed for learners in this area
- One named practitioner who stays the same. A single relational anchor across every session, every conversation with home, every change to the timetable. The practitioner is the learner’s mentor and point of contact — predictability is a feature of the design, not an exception that has to be requested.
- A predictable structured timetable. Four 45-minute live sessions Monday to Thursday, Cornerstones Day on Friday. The shape of the week is the same every week, so the cognitive load goes into the learning rather than into reading what’s happening today.
- Online format reduces social load. No whole-class noise, no playground, no corridor transitions. Learners join from a familiar environment they have already organised to suit themselves.
- Camera-on is not required by default. Learners participate in whichever channel works for them — voice, written chat, both, neither. Practitioners are trained not to interpret a quiet camera as disengagement.
- Live small-group teaching. Group sizes are deliberately small so learners are seen and heard without being put on the spot. Peer interaction is part of the learning, not a prerequisite to it.
- Cornerstones Day allows alternative modes of expression. A learner who finds spoken response hard can still demonstrate Connection, Reflection or Creativity through visual, written, project-based, or shared-task work.
- Plain-language session notes. Communication with families and commissioners avoids jargon and is written so a young person can read it about themselves without surprise.
Where this shows up in the vault
- Connection — the framing layer for communication, peer relationship, and self-expression
- Reflection — non-spoken modes of demonstrating understanding
- Relating Intelligently — NEO-original course on relational competence
- KS3 Spoken English — designed with adaptable participation demand
- RSHE — Relationships Education — taught with attention to communication-need profiles
What we don’t do
NEO does not provide speech and language therapy as a clinical service. Where a learner has SLT goals on an EHCP, NEO co-ordinates with the LA-commissioned therapist and reflects therapy targets in everyday teaching practice rather than duplicating clinical input.