Verbo Voices – October edition

News & Views  .  12 November 2024

Read on for October’s newsletter. If you’d like our updates sent directly to you, you can subscribe here.


Welcome back to Verbo Voices!

As we marked International Stammering Awareness Day yesterday and reflect on last Friday’s Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) Awareness Day, our October edition brings you a specialised staff training video on supporting individuals who stammer, alongside an introduction to DLD. You’ll also find sector news, Verbo event highlights, and a fun Halloween-themed game idea for small-group or whole-class activities.


International Stammering Awareness Day and DLD Awareness Day

In recognition of International Stammering Awareness Day (22nd October), we wanted to share our staff training video on supporting children and young people who stammer.

As we emphasise in the video, individuals who stammer are the experts in their own experiences. However, this resource provides some guidance on how to support a young person who stammers, both in the classroom and at home, and it covers key topics for parents and families of children who stammer, such as obtaining a referral and accessing a stammering helpline.

Access the video here.

In recognition of DLD Awareness Day last Friday, we also wanted to share our introductory staff training video. Access it here.


Free resource: Spooky Speech Support

With Halloween just around the corner, we wanted to share one of our favourite activities for Early Years and KS1 pupils: What’s in the Bag?

To give this game a spooky twist, fill the bag with anything Halloween-themed you can think of – like a pumpkin, a toy bat, or even a chocolate bar. Get creative – anything goes!


Sector news: ‘We need to talk’ oracy report

The first major report from the Commission on the Future of Oracy Education was released earlier this month, with many educators and SEND leads hoping it will help open the door for lasting educational change.

Having contributed to the call for evidence, we were encouraged by the recommendations of the ‘We need to talk’ report, which calls for a raft of urgent, fundamental shifts in the way speech and listening skills are taught to children.

You can read our full response to the report here.


Verbo on the road

It’s been a busy month at Verbo! Our wonderful NHS Speech and Language Therapists have been travelling across the UK, connecting with SEND specialists, education experts, and more. We had a fantastic time meeting so many new faces at the National Education Show in Cardiff and the Tes SEND Show in London. A big thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hello!

As we head into the half term break, we hope you enjoy some well-deserved time off.

Thanks so much,

The Verbo team

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