Rationale

At Wilson Stuart we understand that developing a student’s communication skills underpins all possible progress and is central to their long-term adult outcomes, well-being and self-esteem. The quality and variety of language that pupils are exposed to is vital for developing their vocabulary, grammar and understanding for learning in all areas, preparing them for adulthood and ensuring a better quality of life.

Intent

We aim to:

  1. Ensure that every student can make appropriate progress with their communication development, regardless of their individual challenges and difficulties.
  2. To develop all students’ attention and listening skills, as appropriate to their cognitive needs and barriers.
  3. To develop all students’ receptive, expressive, and social communication skills, as appropriate to their needs and barriers.
  4. .
  5. Provide an enriching, supportive, vocabulary rich communication environment that encompasses growth and progress for all, across all areas of learning.
  6. Ensure students understand there are multiple ways to communicate- all are valued and they will be supported in developing their preference/communication system.

Implementation

  • To teach a range of listening and attention skills, across all the pathways, through sequential English/Communication, Language and Literacy/My Communication/Communication and Social Interaction curriculums, as appropriate to each individual’s needs.
  • All areas of the curriculum, across all pathways, to include opportunities to develop students’ listening and attention skills, understanding, expressive communication and vocabulary, as well as providing opportunities to practise and consolidate using them in a variety of ways and contexts.
  • To develop all student’s receptive and expressive communication, across all the pathways, through the sequential English/Communication, Language and Literacy/My Communication/Communication and Social Interaction curriculums as appropriate to their individual next steps and progression.
  • All areas of the curriculum, across all pathways, to understand the importance of a vocabulary rich environment for improving outcomes and provide opportunities to consolidate and develop a range of new vocabulary in daily practice.
  • To develop students’ social communication skills during PFA lessons and for Inspire and Explore pathways to include social communication skills during My Communication and Communication and Social Interaction time.
  • To develop students’ creative, social and personal communication skills by participating in drama sessions with Open Theatre (as appropriate to pathway).
  • All staff in school to model social communication skills and opportunities for social communication to be embedded across the whole school day.
  • To teach students how to use their AAC Communication system during Language and Literacy/My Communication/Communication and Social Interaction lessons. In addition to this, opportunities for AAC users must be embedded across all daily lessons and activities to support practical experience of its use and appropriate modelling daily.  For all AAC users on the extra Communication Interventions to be utilised for this, if necessary. 
  • All teachers and TAs to model the use of different communication systems throughout the day in all sessions to embed their use and to demonstrate their value.
  • As appropriate to their needs, AAC users to attend Communication groups to improve/practise expressive communication.
  • All teachers and TAs to know the Speech and language targets for students on POCs and to adapt lessons to ensure these targets are being worked on and met across the whole curriculum.
  • To provide opportunities for the crucial development of social language with peers outside of formal learning sessions.

Impact

  •  Students will confidently and consistently use their receptive and expressive communication skills, throughout the day, in a variety of contexts.
  • All students will leave Wilson Stuart with an effective means of communication and will be confident in using this. They will be able to express their needs, wants, preferences, feelings, thoughts and opinions as appropriate to their individual ability and in a way that is appropriate to them for their adult outcomes.
  • All students will leave Wilson Stuart confident in using a system/ method of expressive communication that enables them to engage in reciprocal communication with those around them and in communicating for a variety of purposes.
  • Students will have developed appropriate listening and attention skills over their time with us and will use these appropriately in a variety of situations and contexts.
  • Students will be confident in using their communication skills to forge friendships and relationships with their peers and will be able to maintain connections and bonds.
  • Our most able students will make good progress in other areas of the curriculum, due to progression and development in communication. Communication underpins the ability to achieve in all areas of academic learning and the ability to make progress on a more formal pathway. The ability to communicate effectively is a key skill, and the better we are at it, the better our quality of life will be.