Mater Boni Consilii St Joseph School, Paola is offering speech therapy sessions to its students. It is the first Church school in Malta to provide this service.

This initiative, in collaboration with Primary HealthCare, has been ongoing since the beginning of this scholastic year. The sessions are conducted by Elayne Azzopardi, a speech language pathologist within the Primary HealthCare’s multidisciplinary team, during the school day and within the school premises.

The school says that the service was well received by both educators and parents since it enables the students to improve their communication skills. It also notes that parents find these sessions convenient since they are held at school during school hours. Furthermore, the students enjoy these sessions since they are held in an environment in which they feel comfortable.

Head of school Kenneth Vella affirms that the decision to embark on this project is reaping fruit. He notes that research highlights the importance of early intervention for children with speech impairment and that the service is not only supporting the students in addressing their needs but it is also offering the opportunity for professionals − speech language pathologists, teachers, learning support educators and the educational psychologists − to discuss the individual needs of the students and tailor a therapy which addresses the students’ needs.

This project was initiated thanks to Rosanne Camilleri, chief executive officer within the Primary HealthCare, who understood the need for such service to be introduced in Church schools after having been offered in state schools in past years. The project is envisaged to be extended in other Church schools in Malta in the coming years.

This initiative was made possible with the support of the Ministry of Health, Rosanne Camilleri, Rosario Mizzi, senior allied health practitioner and the deputy professional lead, and Elayne Azzopardi.