Now You’re Talking

WellComm

The Birmingham Early Years Speech, Language and Communication (SLC)–WellComm Project supports a consistent universal approach to assessing and supporting children’s speech, language and communication needs.

 

How It Works

The Early Years SLC–WellComm Project will deliver the following for Birmingham-based early years providers:

  • Ongoing support from district-based Speech, Language and Communication champions from the maintained nursery schools and the early years consultant team.

  • Training to support the universal use of the WellComm toolkit for all children across the ten districts of Birmingham.

  • A funded WellComm Toolkit for private, voluntary and independent providers, including childminders who are registered to provide early education entitlement places in Birmingham.

  • A funded WellComm toolkit for schools with early years provision who do not currently have access to a WellComm toolkit.

  • Ongoing network activities to strengthen provider and multiagency support for children with speech, language and communication needs.

Getting Started with WellComm

Birmingham City Council will fully fund one WellComm Toolkit for all schools, nurseries, pre-schools, and childminders registered to offer Early Education Entitlement (EEE) places.  

Early Years settings need to attend an Introduction to WellComm Workshop. During the workshop, you will be provided with instructions on how to receive your Toolkit.

Using WellComm To Track Progress

We have updated the WellCom data collection form to ensure that it only includes questions pertinent to the ages of children in your care. A new question has been added regarding the number of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) who have been screened using an alternative assessment tool.

The form now comprises six age-specific sections, ranging from 6 months to 5 years. These sections focus on clarified children's statuses as red, amber, or green, along with their progress. 

The WellComm Data Spreadsheet is intended to assist in collating your WellComm screening results. The spreadsheet includes instructions for its use, a page for entering all of your children's screening results, and an automated analysis page. This analysis page offers a comprehensive summary of the data required for completing the WellComm Data Collection Form.

Using the spreadsheet is optional, as you may have already developed your own, and it is for your use only and not to be returned to us. We ask that you share your screening data through the online data collection form.

The summer term WellComm data collection form is now available for you to share this terms screenings.

We kindly request that every early year’s provider returns their summer term WellComm screening results by Thursday 31st August 2025.

Complete the survey

 

If you would like to request support, please see our Advice and Support pages.

 

Our Approach

GL Assessment training videos

These resources from GL ASsessment will help you share how to use WellComm across your team.

 

WellComm Workshops

All practitioners in Birmingham are eligible to attend a WellComm workshop.

These sessions are intended to enable practitioners to use the WellComm Toolkit within their setting to support the accurate assessment and interventions for children with speech, language, and communication needs.