Welcome to ELCISS!

We are about language for learning, learning for language.

The ELCISS programme aims to enhance language and communication in secondary school students. It provides training to teaching staff on different ways of supporting the learning and accessing of the curriculum of students in secondary schools.

It will increase our understanding of different levels of language and communication in secondary school, and provide different support systems for the students, teaching staff and parents.

Exploring the project

Our study explores the prevalence, nature and type of language and communication impairment in secondary school students - a significantly under-researched and under-serviced client population.

We investigate the effectiveness of two speech and language therapy (SALT) interventions in improving language and communication skills and also explore the effectiveness of different levels of training support given to teaching staff. Read more

Announcing the birth of our ELCISS baby

We are delighted to announce the safe arrival of Isabella Ann Parker. Isabella arrived on the 6th of May to the delight of her parents, Francesca and Charlie. Many congratulations to Francesca, Charlie and their family and friends.

ELCISS research features at the IASCL conference - July 2008

Victoria, Emma and Eleni will be reporting some of the research findings from the ELCISS programme at the forthcoming congress of the International Association for the Study of Child Language (IASCL) in Edinburgh, UK in July 2008. For further information about the conference, see http://www.in-conference.org.uk/IASCL/

Hong Kong education visitors to ELCISS project

January 2008

Three delegates from The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Education Bureau will be visiting Victoria Joffe and the ELCISS team at City University to find out more information about the ELCISS programme. They will be coming on the 23rd January until the 31st of January.

The main reason for their visit is to find out more details about the ‘Enhancing Language Research Project’ that we are running in secondary schools in Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham.

The three delegates consist of two speech and language therapists and one specialist teacher. They have a specific interest in exploring how we are running the project, our collaboration with the schools and the content of the assessment and intervention sessions.

They will be visiting the research team in the Department of Language and Communication Science at City University, as well as visiting some of the secondary schools in the boroughs that are participating in the project. They will look at the intervention materials, and observe the teaching assistants conducting the intervention. They will also be given the opportunity to talk with teachers, students and parents about the ELCISS programme.