Case study
At Watling Primary, pupils who might otherwise have waited until September began receiving speech and language support during the summer term. One teaching assistant delivered the intervention confidently, without previous specialist training.
Demand for speech and language support was growing faster than specialist capacity. The school needed a way to act sooner for pupils on the waiting list, without releasing staff for extensive training or disrupting the school day.
A speech and language therapist coordinated the pilot, while a teaching assistant used Chatterdillo to identify needs and deliver activities day to day. The platform provided the intervention material and structure, enabling support to continue independently with minimal coordinating time.
Thirteen pupils received intervention before the end of term instead of remaining on a waiting list until September. This was achieved by one teaching assistant with no previous specialist experience, working within the school's existing staffing arrangements.
The platform scored 9 out of 10 for ease of use and 10 out of 10 for ease of delivering the materials. As her confidence grew, the teaching assistant independently identified three more pupils who could benefit and added them to the intervention.
Pupil engagement scored 8 out of 10. Although the small pilot was not designed to provide robust long-term attainment data, staff saw children remain focused enough to continue activities when the adult briefly needed to support another pupil: a meaningful practical benefit in a busy classroom.
“It's nice that I can leave momentarily and the child can continue working through an exercise without losing engagement or focus.”
The school converted waiting-list demand into timely support, giving 13 pupils earlier access to intervention without requiring additional specialist capacity.
A non-specialist member of staff delivered intervention confidently and independently, showing how the right resources can distribute expertise more effectively across a school.
Engagement data and an automatic record of intervention sessions gave the school an evidence trail while creating the conditions for progress through consistent use.
Watling Primary demonstrated a practical answer to a familiar capacity problem: give support staff the structure and materials to intervene confidently, so pupils can begin receiving help while they wait for specialist input rather than losing valuable months.
