Speech therapy letter to school: template and example

A speech therapy letter to school is a short note addressed to the teacher or the school team, sent with the parents' consent. It describes what the child needs in class and suggests practical adjustments. It can also support a request for a PAP (personalised support plan) or a PPS (personalised schooling plan). It does not replace the assessment report, which stays with the doctor and the family.

This page gives you a section-by-section outline, a completed example for a fictional child, common mistakes, and the rules to keep in mind on professional secrecy. It follows the French school system.

What this letter is for

The teacher spends the whole day with the child. They often notice the difficulties long before the assessment. But they do not always know what to do about them. The letter gives them simple pointers. What is hard for the child, what helps, and what can be tried in class.

It is useful in several situations.

• Informing the teacher at the start of the year, or after an assessment.
• Supporting a PAP request, which the family or the school can start.
• Adding to an MDPH file when a PPS is being considered.
• Preparing a school team meeting (équipe éducative).

The letter decides nothing. Depending on the plan, adjustments are decided by the school, the school doctor or the MDPH. The speech therapist sheds light on the needs. They do not prescribe school adjustments.

The framework

Professional secrecy also applies to the school

Everything you learn about the child and the family is covered by professional secrecy. Article L1110-4 of the French Public Health Code governs information sharing between professionals. It covers health professionals and some social and médico-social professionals, and requires the person's consent outside the care team. The teacher is not a health professional. In practice, they are not considered part of this sharing. Nothing is passed on to them without the parents' consent, and they need neither the assessment report, nor the case history, nor the test results.

Parental consent, and going through the parents

For a child, the parents decide what is shared with the school. For an adult patient, the patient decides. The simplest way is to write the letter, read it through with the parents, then hand it to them. They pass it on to the school if they wish. That way they know exactly what the school receives. Note in the file that consent was given, and for what content.

PAP and PPS, who decides

The PAP is for pupils whose lasting school difficulties come from a learning disorder. According to Eduscol, it is set up on a proposal from the teachers' council or class council, or at the family's request. The school doctor gives an opinion on whether it is appropriate. Where relevant, the doctor can rely on psychological and allied health assessments. The teaching team then draws up the PAP with the parents and the professionals concerned. It is reviewed every year.

The PPS concerns a pupil whose disability is recognised by the MDPH. The family submits the file. The CDAPH, a committee within the MDPH, decides on adjustments, equipment or support.

The outline, section by section

1. Recipient and parental consent

Address the letter to the teacher, the head teacher or the school team. Add a sentence saying it is shared with the parents' consent.

2. Subject

One line is enough. For example "Note for the class" or "Information supporting a PAP request".

3. What the child experiences in class

Describe the difficulties in concrete terms, as they show up in class. "Reads slowly and tires quickly on a long text" says more than a percentile. Start from what the parents and the child report, and from what you see in sessions. Keep to school matters.

4. Strengths

Say what works. Good oral comprehension, a rich vocabulary, motivation, a strong visual memory. The teacher can build on these.

5. Identified needs

Turn the assessment into needs. More time to read. Instructions read aloud. Less copying. Avoid test vocabulary and scores. Only name the disorder if the parents agree, and in plain words.

6. Suggested adjustments

Group them by area.

• Reading. Well-spaced texts, larger font, instructions read aloud, shorter texts for the same goal.
• Writing. Less copying, a printed copy of the lesson notes, less weight on spelling outside dictation.
• Oral work. Oral answers valued, lessons sometimes checked orally.
• Tests. Instructions read aloud, extra time or fewer exercises, to be requested through the PAP if the team finds it useful.

Present them as suggestions to discuss. The teacher knows their class and its constraints. Three or four adjustments that last are better than ten that nobody applies.

7. What the speech therapist cannot say

One or two sentences are enough. The letter does not include assessment details, which remain covered by secrecy. Decisions on adjustments belong to the school, the school doctor or the MDPH. This keeps the note from being read as a prescription.

8. Contact details and availability for a school team meeting

Give a way to reach you and your usual time slots. Say whether you can join a school team meeting, in person or by phone.

9. Signature

Name, profession, practice address and date. Sign as you sign your other letters.

A completed example

Fictional patient. The letter fits on one page.

For the attention of Mrs D., Year 4 (CE2) teacher

Dear Mrs D.,

I have been seeing Inès R. in speech therapy since March for difficulties with written language. Her parents asked me to write to you. They have read this letter and are passing it on to you themselves.

Subject. Information for the class, supporting the PAP request made by the family.

In class, Inès still reads slowly. On a one-page text, she gets tired and loses track. She takes a long time to copy from the board and makes many spelling mistakes when she has to hurry. She may then seem distracted or give up on the exercise.

Inès understands very well what is explained to her orally. She has a good vocabulary and joins in readily when asked. She cares about doing well.

Above all, she needs more time to read, instructions read aloud, less copying, and tests that measure what she knows rather than her reading speed.

Here are a few ideas, if they seem workable in your class.

• Well-spaced texts, in a larger font, with more space between lines.
• Instructions read aloud, especially in tests.
• Less copying, with printed lesson notes when possible.
• From time to time, oral questions on the lessons.
• Extra time or fewer exercises in tests, to be written into the PAP if the school doctor and the team agree.

These are ideas to discuss. You know your class better than I do.

I do not give the assessment results here, as they are covered by professional secrecy. Her parents can share them with the school doctor if they wish.

I can join a school team meeting on Tuesdays or Thursdays after 4.30 pm, at school or by phone. You can reach me at the practice using the details below.

Yours sincerely,

[First name Last name], speech therapist, [practice address], [phone], [date]

Common mistakes

• Attaching the full assessment report. It contains the case history and family details the school does not need.
• Writing without the parents' consent. Or sending the letter to the school before they have read it.
• Giving scores. The teacher cannot use them, and they fall outside the frame.
• Wording adjustments as obligations. "Must be given extra time" puts the teacher on the spot. "Extra time could be requested in the PAP" opens the discussion.
• Suggesting too many adjustments. Keep the ones that matter most for the child.
• Forgetting the strengths. A letter that only lists difficulties is hard to read, for the family and for the child.

Save time with Delta

Delta is the clinical assistant for mental health and allied health professionals. During the session, it transcribes what is said. You can also dictate your observations after the session, or add written notes. Delta generates the report for each session and updates the patient record, with the follow-up summary and the goals being tracked.

Delta also drafts letters, certificates and assessments, adapted to your profession. It can prepare a first draft of the letter to school. You review it, remove anything the parents do not want shared, then sign. As our page for speech therapists explains, you can create your own templates. Your school letter outline can be one of them.

Delta does not calculate any score. Scoring, test choice and interpretation stay with you. It does not handle scheduling or billing. It is a recent tool built by a small team.

Data is hosted in France by an HDS-certified host, with AI processing in France. The patient's name and identifying details are pseudonymised before the AI. No audio file is kept, and the data is never used to train a model. The trial lasts 14 days, with no credit card. To learn more, read What is Delta.

Further reading

• Speech therapy letter to the prescribing doctor, template
• Speech and language therapy assessment report, template
• Speech therapy discharge report, template
• All our clinical document templates
• Delta for speech therapists

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Eduscol, Mettre en œuvre un plan d'accompagnement personnalisé (PAP), accessed 10 October 2026 (in French)
• Mon parcours handicap, PPRE, PAI, PAP, PPS (in French), accessed 10 October 2026
• French Ministry of Education, Exam support and adjustments for candidates with particular needs (in French), accessed 10 October 2026
• French Medical Council, Information exchange and sharing (in French), accessed 10 October 2026