Communication and English

English

At Kirkleatham Hall School we have designed an English curriculum which prepares children for life as caring and thoughtful citizens within the context of their SEND diagnosis and assessment of need. We use the child’s Education, Health and Care Plan to build on prior learning in English to ensure the development of key concepts and knowledge. We recognise the value of broadening children’s vocabulary in support of independence and inclusion. Within our school cohort a high percentage of EHCP, long term targets include the development of communication, comprehension and vocabulary. As such this has influenced our approach to the English curriculum. We intend to give every child the opportunity to access literacy/reading commensurate to ability

Communication

Communication is fundamental to children’s development; children need to be able to understand and be understood. Communication is the foundation of relationships and is essential for learning, play and social interaction’ (The Communication Trust) It is an absolute right of all our learners to be able to communicate with, and be understood by, all staff members at Kirkleatham Hall School, in whatever way they can. Staff have a responsibility to support all forms of communication used by our learners and to implement common strategies and enhanced strategies identified for specific individuals. The curriculum and experiences offered at school are accessible in many forms and learners are provided with a means of expressing their responses, needs, likes and dislikes and understanding in multi-modal ways. Being able to communicate in any way enables all our learners to engage fully and successfully in order to live their life both in school and at home to the fullest. ‘Everyone can and does communicate and it is therefore up to those who are supporting people with complex support needs, to tune into them and try to see the world from their point of view.’ (http://www.ssc.education.ed.ac.uk) At Kirkleatham Hall School, the development of communication aims to foster well-being and independence, allowing our learners to fully engage with the world around them and to reach their full potential. The ability to communicate runs through all strands of the curriculum. All the different strategies used to support communication have the aim of developing functional, receptive and expressive language skills. They are designed to lay the foundations for whatever communication pathway the learner may eventually follow.