Speech therapist, west Essex
Children's speech and language therapy near Loughton and in west Essex
I'm Rajni Davegun, an independent speech and language therapist for children and young people aged 18 months to 16. My clinic, Sunshine Speech Therapy, is in Wanstead, east London, and I visit nurseries and schools in Buckhurst Hill and Loughton. For anywhere else in Essex, ask.
How does it work if we live near Loughton or in west Essex?
Sessions usually happen at the clinic, a few stops down the Central line from Buckhurst Hill and Loughton with a change at Leytonstone: 11 Cambridge Park, Wanstead, London E11 2PU, under five minutes' walk from Wanstead station. They're in person and one to one, with you learning alongside your child.
I can also see your child at their nursery or school in Buckhurst Hill or Loughton. A visit is £85 an hour, and travel fees may apply, so ask before you book and you'll get a number.
This page is about the part of Essex nearest the clinic: Buckhurst Hill, Loughton, Chigwell, Debden, Epping and the villages around them. If your child's nursery or school is elsewhere in Essex, ask. I'd rather check than guess whether the distance works for both of us.
It starts with a free 15-minute call and you don't need a GP referral. The fees are fixed, and the services page starts from what you've noticed.
I'm registered with the HCPC (SL038484) and a member of the RCSLT and ASLTIP. More about me and my training.
Getting to the clinic from west Essex
Buckhurst Hill
Buckhurst Hill is on the Epping branch of the Central line. To reach Wanstead by Tube you change at Leytonstone, then take a train towards Hainault via Newbury Park for one stop. Check the destination on the front of the train.
Loughton and Debden
Both are further along the Epping branch, so the route is the same: change at Leytonstone for a train towards Hainault via Newbury Park, which stops at Wanstead.
Theydon Bois and Epping
These are the last stations on the Epping branch. You change at Leytonstone, as from Loughton. Trains towards Epping and Loughton do not stop at Wanstead, so look for Hainault via Newbury Park.
Chigwell, Grange Hill and Roding Valley
These three stations are on the Hainault loop itself, the same loop as Wanstead, but the stretch between Woodford and Hainault is usually run as its own service. That means a change, either at Hainault or at Woodford, so it's worth checking on TfL before you travel. If you're working out the route, email me and I'll help.
I'm not giving parking advice because I can't promise any, so if you're driving, email me first and we'll sort something out.
How does NHS speech and language therapy work in west Essex?
This section covers west Essex, which the service for the area describes as the Harlow, Epping Forest and Uttlesford districts. That includes Buckhurst Hill, Loughton, Chigwell, Debden and Epping. Other parts of Essex are served by different NHS providers, so if you live further out, start from the Essex Local Offer.
NHS children's speech and language therapy in west Essex is provided by the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service, run by HCRG Care Group. It supports children and young people aged two and a half to 18, and up to 25 with an EHC plan.
How you refer depends on your child's age. For preschool children aged two and a half and over with a west Essex GP, there is a telephone drop-in for parents, with no formal referral needed. For school-age children, the service asks you to talk to your child's teacher or SENCo first, and in most cases the school makes the referral, because it needs to show what support is already in place. Parents or professionals can refer a child with a stammer or suspected selective mutism. The details, forms and current contact information are on the service's own page.
Seeing me does not take your child off an NHS waiting list. Plenty of families do both, and I am glad to work alongside an NHS therapist.
If you're weighing the two up, there's a guide to private or NHS speech therapy, and another on what you can do while you wait.
Where is the Local Offer, and how do I ask for an EHC needs assessment?
Essex County Council publishes its Local Offer, the directory of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, on the Essex Local Offer website.
If you think your child needs an EHC plan, you can ask the council for an EHC needs assessment yourself. Essex explains how to request an assessment, including the request form and a permissions form to fill in alongside it.
For free, impartial advice on any of this, Essex SEND IASS is the information, advice and support service for Essex families of children and young people with SEND.
Independent reports for EHC needs assessments, annual reviews and SEND Tribunal appeals are part of my work. The EHCP and tribunal reports page explains them, and my recommendations don't change with who is paying.
The guide to getting speech and language therapy written into an EHC plan goes through the law one step at a time.
Do you work with nurseries and schools in Essex?
Yes, in Buckhurst Hill and Loughton. If your child's nursery or school is elsewhere in Essex, including Chigwell, Epping or further out, email me with the name of the setting and I'll tell you whether it works.
A visit covers observation, a spoken handover to staff on the day, and written notes afterwards. I also run staff training, from a 30-minute consultation to a full INSET day, and I attend annual reviews and professional meetings.
The schools and nurseries page has the detail, and every price is on the fees page.
Not in Essex?
Each borough has its own page. Pick yours, or see everywhere I work.
Local sources
Checked on 5 November 2026. Services change, so follow the links for current details.
- Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service. West Essex Speech and Language Therapy. https://essexfamilywellbeing.co.uk/services/west-essex-speech-and-language-therapy
- Essex County Council. Essex Local Offer. https://send.essex.gov.uk/
- Essex County Council. How to request an EHC needs assessment. https://send.essex.gov.uk/help-learning/education-health-and-care-plans-ehcps/how-request-ehc-needs-assessment
- Essex SEND IASS. https://www.essexsendiass.co.uk/
- Transport for London. Tube map. https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/track/tube
In Essex and not sure where to start?
Start with the free call. It costs nothing, and it commits you to nothing.