SLC Strategy

School Specific SLC Plan for Piper Hill

Part of the Prospere Learning Trust Special

PiperHillSENDSchool

SLCStrategy

• Ensure speaking, listening and communication (SLC) is consistently prioritised by all staff, including school leadership

• Support students to progress with SLC at a level that is appropriate to them whilst also stretching and challenging students at all levels of attainment.

• Embed a differentiated SLC package that inspires a love and familiarity of reading/being read to.

• Extend communication and speaking and listening skills through a total communication approach which is tailored to meet the unique needs of individual students.

• All pupils should be enabled to participate in and gain knowledge, skills and understanding associated with the artistic practice of drama. Pupils should be able to adopt, create and sustain a range of roles, responding appropriately to others in role

• Acquire a wide vocabulary, an understanding of grammar and knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and spoken language

• Establish a total communication approach so that sign language is a key aspect of the offer for all students.

• Experience SLC in a variety of contexts so that it becomes a pleasurable.

• Become aware of the link between reading, writing and SLC. Spoken language underpins the development of reading and writing.

• Pupils should develop a capacity to explain their understanding of books and other reading, and to prepare their ideas before they write. They must be assisted in making their thinking clear to themselves as well as to others and teachers should ensure that pupils build secure foundations by using discussion to probe and remedy their English – key stages 1 and 2 4 misconceptions.

• Use ICT and multi modal links to further develop a love of SLC.

• To meet the National Curriculum aims through the delivery of a robust SLC curriculum.

Recommendation One

Develop pupils’ language capabilities

Purposeful speaking and listening activities support pupils’ language development. Purposeful activities include:

• collaborative learning activities where pupils can share their thought processes;

• reading books aloud and discussing them, including use of structured questioning;

• and pupils articulating their ideas verbally before writing.

Promote high quality dialogue in the classroom, between the teacher and the pupils and between pupils, to support pupils to develop their thinking and use of language.

Extend pupils’ vocabulary by explicitly teaching new words, providing repeated exposure to new words, and providing opportunities for pupils to use new words.

Collaborative learning activities can provide opportunities for pupils to engage in high quality classroom talk, thereby developing their language capabilities. Collaborative approaches are have a positive impact on learning, but this does vary so it is important to get the detail right.

Effective collaborative learning requires much more than just sitting pupils together and asking them to collaborate; structured approaches with well-designed tasks lead to the greatest learning gains.

Effective collaboration does not happen automatically so pupils will need support and practice. Approaches that promote talk and interaction between learners tend to result in the best gains.

3. PECS for Communication

PECS is an alternative/augmentative communication system developed to support the communication of learners of all ages who have various cognitive, physical and communication challenges.

The PECS teaching protocol is based on B.F. Skinner’s book, Verbal Behavior, and broad spectrum applied behaviour analysis. Specific prompting and reinforcement strategies are used that lead to independent communication.

Error correction is included so that learners are able to respond and correct when error occurs. Verbal prompts are not used, thus building immediate initiation and avoiding prompt dependency.

PECS consists of six phases and begins by teaching an individual to give a single picture of a desired item or action to a “communicative partner” who immediately honors the exchange as a request. The system goes on to teach discrimination of pictures and how to put them together in sentences. In the more advanced phases, individuals are taught to use modifiers, answer questions and comment.

The primary goal of PECS is to teach functional communication. Research has shown that some learners using PECS also develop speech. Others may transition to a speech generating device (SGD). The body of research supporting the effectiveness of PECS as an evidence-based practice is substantial and continues to expand,

PECS phases

Phase 1

Students are showing an interest towards objects of interest, and are able to exchange a single picture.

Phase 2

Students are working towards distance and persistence and are able to move to retire or exchange a symbol.

Phase 3a

Students are beginning to differentiate between two symbols using a reinforcing item and a ‘boring’ item students can show understanding of there wants and what each symbol means

Phase 3b

Students can differentiate between 2 or more motivating items students can exchange symbol and show understanding around the choices they have made.

Phase 4

Students can us sentence starter and strip. Students are showing understanding of communicating with sentences opposed to singular words.

Phase 5

Students are expanding their vocabulary and can now start to introduce attributes to give a clearer description of what they are communicating.

Phase 6

Students able to respond to questions at this stage asking the student what do they see or hear, and demonstrating to use a different sentence starter. This also allows for opportunity for spontaneous communicate so the student may want to tell you something they have found or can see without staff prompting a question.

4. Vocabulary Acquisition and Retention

Vocabulary retention and acquisition is a key whole school priority. All SOW include a tiered vocab list. Vocabulary is displayed on PowerPoints and embedded within the curriculum and T&L

At Piper Hill we utilise Alex Quigley's SEEC model of explicit vocabulary instruction

Subject Specific vocab found on SOW are explicitly included:

• Within PPTs and reflected on during lessons

• On worksheets where appropriate

In addition, vocabulary instruction is included within all text work, so that when new vocabulary is introduced, the SEEC model is utilised effectively by all staff.

Structured Vocab

Structured vocab is tiered into concrete, abstract and pictural to reflect the additional needs of the students working at this level and to support their cognition and retention. Their vocab is embedded within PECs, Augmented Communication and the wider curriculum.

Step Explanation Select

Explain

• Choose the appropriate words, that a student needs to be able to access a text. This will be differentiated according to the learning levels of students.

• Say the word with correct pronunciation

• Write the word reference, sounds, letters, phonemes etc

• Give a student friendly description, not definition

• Give multiple meaningful examples of the word

• Get students to interact with the word by restating the explanation and their own understanding of the word

Explore

Consolidate

• Etymology: the study of the history of words, their origins and how they change over time

• Morphology: the study of the word parts (roots, prefixes and suffices)

• Synonyms and antonyms

• Minimum of three interactions. Teacher to model verbally and through written work

• Return to vocabulary through retrieval practices and teaching in the form of: creating actions to match the word, low stakes quizzing, writing and verbal practice, using the word in

5. Augmented Communication

The Universal Core vocabulary is a set of 36 highly useful single words that can be used alone or in combination to communicate for a range of purposes on countless topics. The Universal Core vocabulary is available through low tech and high tech AAC devices. It is available in a range of differentiated versions that are available on the school system for staff to personalise and embed in lessons. The Universal Core vocabulary and implementation model is aimed at students with significant disabilities who do not yet use speech, signs or symbols to communicate in flexible ways.

Individuals will communicate intentionally through a variety of symbolic forms, including speech, signs, symbols, gestures and vocalisations. Some individuals who are at the earliest stages of communication development communicate preintentionally.

Many students at Piper Hill do not yet have the foundation to use symbols to communicate, and some communicate pre-intentionally. Before students use speech, signs, or symbols to communicate, they must move from pre-intentional to intentional forms of communication.

When students are pre-intentional communicators, adults must learn to identify behaviours that could serve a communication purpose. Examples of nonsymbolic communication behaviours include:

-Changes in breathing or heart rate

• Tensing muscles

• Facial expressions

• Smiling

• Laughing

• Whining

• Crying

Staff at Piper Hill are beginning to use Universal CORE vocabulary to attribute meaning to students’ behaviour so that they can begin to use the behaviors described above to communicate intentionally.

Attributing meaning to behaviour will help students to understand that their behavior is something that they could do in the future to influence how another person responds. Once students make that connection and begin to understand that they can influence how another person responds by using behaviors that communicate something, they can move onto developing intentional symbolic communication.

The Universal Core model emphasises the following practices:

• Identifying and attributing meaning to all ways students are communicating.

• Making sure all students have access to the Universal Core vocabulary.

• Showing students what is possible and how to use symbols.

• Taking advantage of naturally occurring opportunities to teach during the common academic and daily routines of the school day.

Project CORE encourages the use of the Communication Matrix as an important tool to recognize and build upon the communication behaviors of beginning communicators.

The Communication Matrix was developed by Charity Rowland as an assessment tool that was specifically developed for use with beginning communicators. It is designed to identify the behaviors students are currently using to communicate and to provide a framework for thinking about communication goals and intervention. The descriptions included in the Communication Matrix acknowledges the small but important differences in the ways that beginning communicators express themselves. It is appropriate for students of all ages who are at the earliest stages of communication.

The use of Universal CORE has been recently introduced at Piper Hill. It is being newly rolled out in conjunction with training from the ACE centre. The system is primarily used by our HLTA for communication during interventions.

We currently have a focus of ‘Word of the week’, which highlights one of the 36 words from the core vocabulary for staff to focus on throughout the week.

6. Augmented Communication Core Vocabulary

7. Intensive Interaction

“Personal communication is essential for our wellbeing and may be the ‘primary goal’ of human existence” (Adler and Rodman)

Intensive Interaction is an approach used at Piper Hill to help students with social communication difficulties engage through and learn the fundamentals of communication. At Piper Hill, this approach is used to support communication skills whilst the student and their communication partner learn to relate better to each other.

The Fundamentals of Communication ( From: Nind & Hewett 1994, 2001 & 2005) support the students in learning how to:

-Share personal space

• Develop the ability to attend to another person

• Understand and use physical contacts

• Understand and use eye contacts

• Learn to take turns in exchanges of behaviour – and engage in sequences with another person

• Understand and using vocalisations meaningfully (including speech development)

• Enjoy being with another person

The fundamentals of communication are foundational to subsequent learning, development and psychological well-being.

What is Intensive Interaction?

• Intensive Interaction can be used as a way of teaching or as a way for staff and students to be together.

• Staff at Piper Hill know to adjust interpersonal behaviours (voice/gaze/body language) when engaging with students through Intensive Interaction

• Staff know to take the student’s lead and respond to the actions/movements/ vocalisations that they do and finish the interaction when the student chooses to finish.

The emotional and psychological outcomes of Intensive Interaction (Based on: Bowlby, 153; Lamb et al, 2002; Schore, 2003)

• Attunement, connection, attachment, rapport

• Learning to regulate and control arousal levels – learning to feel safe, secure & calm

• Learning to identify own feelings and the feelings of others

• Knowing that others care and learning to trust others

• Developing empathy and learning to care – knowing/caring about how somebody else feels

Intensive Interaction is embedded into the daily lives of our Structured learners. It is a crucial tool for primarily supporting the emotional wellbeing and mental health of our students, in addition to student engagement, positive behaviour and participation.

The ‘observable’ outcomes of Intensive Interaction:

• Increased social initiation, more and longer engagement

• Increased toleration of, or responsiveness to physical proximity

• Increased levels of contingent smiling

• Increased levels of eye contact or looking at a person’s face

• Increased use of vocalisation

• Increased levels of socially significant physical contact

• Improved levels of joint attention

8. Lego Therapy

Playing with LEGO in a therapy setting promotes social interaction, turn-taking skills, sharing, collaborative problem-solving and the learning of concepts. It can be used to target goals around social skills, language and motor skills. By using a commonly adored tool like LEGO it capitalises on its existing motivation and supports selfesteem by allowing the participants to demonstrate their skills in a social situation. It also sets up a positive opportunity for guided social problem-solving to help develop social skills that can then be used in other situations.

Children with autism sometimes find it challenging to understand what is expected of them in a social situation, particularly within unstructured play activities. LEGOBased Therapy provides a highly structured environment where everyone plays a specific role within the group. This can help children with autism feel calm and relaxed as they are doing something that they enjoy and know precisely what to expect and what is expected of them.

Each child takes on one of four specific roles:

• The Engineer oversees reading and relaying the instructions. The Engineer must tell the Supplier what pieces to retrieve and tell the Builder how to build the model.

• The Supplier oversees finding the correct LEGO pieces. The Supplier must listen to the Engineer and figure out what piece to retrieve, and then given these pieces to the Builder.

• The Builder oversees physically building the model. The Builder must listen to instructions provided by the Engineer and receive the pieces that are retrieved by the Supplier.

• The Foreman makes sure everyone is doing what they need to do. They provide help to other roles when needed and look out for social challenges that may need problem-solving by the group.

9. Colourful Semantics

C.S is an approached developed by UK Speech and Language Therapist Alison

Bryan It is a colour-coded system to help students develop spoken and written language skills. Sentences are broken down into thematic roles and reassembled in colour.

Why use Colourful Semantics?

• Encourages a wider vocabulary, spoken and written

• Makes sentences longer and encourages use of grammar

• Supports sentence structure

• Supports oral and written language

• Helps pupils learn how to answer ‘WH’ questions

• Improves story telling skills

• Can be used with individuals or small groups

• Good for pupils who are visual learners.

• Clear structure for visual learners and those with autism

How?

Activities are differentiated according to ability, the board below represents all aspects of colourful semantics, students will initially be taught the colour link, they will then focus on: who? what doing? What? Where? Teachers may focus on one aspect and build up the colour profile over time.

Tiered Vocab and cross curricular linked learning

Speaking, listening, drama and interaction explicitly linked to the National Curriculum

Wide variety of SLC activities outlined

English Implementation

There are separate SOW for SLC, this ensures that we are effectively meeting and going above and beyond the breadth and depth of the National Curriculum

Whilst discreet lessons are timetabled for each literacy strand, there is a clear synthesis between the three disciplines of reading writing and SLC

All English SOW include key signs for each unit, signing sessions are embedded within SLC lessons to enhance wider communication skills, enabling students to converse with hearing impaired students and staff. Additionally, signing enhances and aids vocabulary acquisition and retention.

11. CPD Induction

• All new teachers and TAs access beginners reading and phonics introductory training this takes place every Wednesday from 8:309am for three weeks in Autumn term One. Experienced staff who would like refresher training are also welcome.

• All staff complete a Key signs BSL (British Sign Language) Induction. This takes place in Autumn Term 2 and is led by a qualified HLTA specialist. The sessions run over a 3-4 week period.

• All teachers and TAs can access Little Wandle Phonics training sessions all year round and specific slots are designated throughout the year.

• New teachers – all new teachers schedule an observation slot with Beth Q (joint reading lead and outstanding reading teacher) to observe literacy carousel modelling (also available to any experienced staff).

Annual CPD

• PECS

• Little Wandle Phonics

• Reading non-negotiables – start of year

• Reading/Vocab Strategies – throughout the year

• Primary Literacy Hub – Termly Meetings

• HLTA external training to support interventions (Accelerated Reading, SALT level One training)

12. Cultural Capital Opportunities

• Annual Book Roadshows

• Peoplescape Theatre Productions

• Real world learning – Post 16

• World Book Day

• Guest Readers – Coronation Street Maximus Evans and Matt Goodfellow

• Immersive Learning Environment

• Sensory Stories

• RET

• Reading Buddies

• Certificates

• High quality, high engagement schema and book selection

13. Literacy offer according to Access Group

Independent Structured & Experiential Post 16

• Independent students access discreet reading, writing and SLC lessons four times per week.

• Each student has a termly target linked to SLC.

• SLC is evidenced on books and Seesaw.

• Students complete weekly reading records, reading books match their phonics/reading levels.

• Teachers lead weekly phonics sessions for KS3 and can access a wide variety of bespoke differentiated phonics worksheets on the system

• Two sessions of Mean in 15 per week designated to reading and phonics (Monday and Thursday).

• Access spelling opportunities at an differentiated levels where appropriate (KS3)

• Students are read to weekly and teachers model reading strategies, this is implemented across the whole curriculum

• All students have a long term communicationliteracy EHCP target displayed on boards which is implemented across the curriculum

• Every class can access e-readers and phased phonic books, which ensures all reading materials are suitable for the needs of students.

• There are complete class sets for Little Wandle to support the phonics offer

• There is a comprehensive library on site which has been created to suit the context of the school.

• KS4 Students complete AQA Accreditation

• Monday and Thursday Mean in 15 time will be designated to reading, and PECS.

• All students access discreet reading, writing and SLC sessions as part of core skills

• SLC is evidenced on books and Seesaw.

• Keen focus on PECS for communication

• Time given to complete PECS assessment within English SLC sessions

• Evidence and annotated record of reading activities (seesaw and books)

• Given choices and opportunities to communicate their preferences about books.

• Target set through classroom monitor and Steps to Success in books.

• All students have a long term literacy Communication EHCP target displayed on boards which is implemented across the curriculum

• Every class can access e-readers and phased phonic books, which ensures that all reading materials are suitable for the needs of students.

• There are complete class sets for Little Wandle to support phonics where appropriate

• There is a comprehensive library on site which has been created to suit the context of the school.

• Sessions link to real life and world experience where possible

• Asdan and accreditation links literacy to Independent Living skills

• Opportunities to practice reading and literacy in the wider world and apply knowledge.

• Students access a wide variety of reading, writing and SLC opportunities (See SOW)

• Expectation to evidence all three strands in pupil files.

• Regular use of Post 16 library

14.Interventions

Accelerated Readers Reading Buddies

Accelerated Reading Programme (HLTA ) – For higher readers, students receive a letter home, complete weekly assessments and work in a small group, the programme aims to increase ability, fluency and to continue to raise their reading age whilst also encouraging a love of reading. Continuity between the programme and our wider strategies

10. Rationale for choice of topics:

Reading Buddies (HLTA): Higher ability students work with lower ability students reading books at an appropriate phonics level. Higher ability student takes mentor role. Each mentor completes a written application for the role and also completes an informal interview, successful candidates then complete training. Weekly sessions pair the students, all receive a letter home as well as a prize and certificate at the end

SLC – Social Interaction and SALT

Staff have attended external training for PECs level 3 training.

HLTA qualified in Level 3 Speech and Language Diploma – runs specialised interventions in AM tutor time

Social interaction group to support students in wider social communication we utilise the data combined with teacher input to allocate based on need, this links in closely with EHCPs

Topics within the English curriculum were chosen thoughtfully and deliberately to suit the special needs context of the school. Our books and topics are:

• Exciting, promote a love of learning and encourage curiosity and creativity.

• A vehicle through which all key literacy skills can be developed.

• Key drivers for a differentiated and personalised national curriculum.

• Inclusive and accessible to learners with a broad spectrum of SEN needs. Students can see themselves reflected

• Well aligned with the interests of students thus ensuring high levels of engagement.

• Strongly linked to the wider world and broader functional needs of students thus equipping them for the wider world.

• Cross-curricular and regularly link in with broader themes across rolling plans to ensure a rich and deeply embedded curriculum offer.

• Includes authors from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.

15. Linked Research

The reading framework: teaching the foundations of literacy The reading framework: teaching the foundations of literacy - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

EEF Recommendations Reading comprehension strategies | EEF (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk)

Updated KS2 guidance report (published in Oct) here.

Can all children with SEND learn to read with phonics? (phonicsforpupilswithspecialeducationalneeds.com)

The new ‘Reading House’ which builds on the Simple View of Reading and is an adaptation of the research work done by Prof Kate Cain et all.

EEF KS1 Literacy Guidance Report: The first recommendation on ‘developing speaking and listening skills and wider understanding of language’ includes: Vignette for discussion with prompt questions

• Tiers of vocabulary figure

• Approaches such as:

 Implicit and explicit approaches to teaching vocabulary (to develop receptive and expressive language)

Modelling

Alex Quigley’s book ‘Closing the Vocabulary Gap’: The Early Vocabulary Advantage (theconfidentteacher.com)

Three Pillars of Vocabulary Teaching (theconfidentteacher.com)

Marzano’s Six Steps to Teaching Vocabulary Marzano_6_Step_Vocabulary.pdf (swsc.org)

EEF Secondary Literacy Guidance report: building ‘word consciousness’

EEF_KS3_KS4_LITERACY_GUIDANCE.pdf (d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net) Recommendation 2 section

16. Resources and Useful Links.

Internal:

E readers Log in Information:

Username and Password:

PiperHill3209

P1perH1ll

Pin: 3009

Assessments (phonics, spelling, guided reading, handwriting etc) : Q:\PIP Staff Shared\Curriculum\Subject Areas\English\Assessments\Independent Assessment\READING

Reading Records: Q:\PIP Staff Shared\Curriculum\Subject Areas\English\Assessments\Independent Assessment\READING\Class reading records

Phonics resources: Q:\PIP Staff Shared\Curriculum\Subject Areas\English\Phonics Resources

Vocab sheets: these are located in the same file as SOW –KEY WORD WORKSHEETS FOR EVERY SCHEME THROUGH TO POST 16, PLEASE USE THEM: Q:\PIP Staff

Shared\Curriculum\Subject Areas\English\KS3_INDEP SOW_RESOURCES\RP2\AUTUMN\KEYWORD WORKSHEETS

Library reading programme colour codes: Q:\PIP Staff Shared\Curriculum\Subject Areas\English\New Library\Reading level convertor

Home reading records (for front of diaries): Q:\PIP Staff Shared\Curriculum\Subject Areas\English\Assessments\Home reading record

Wide variety of resources linked to all strands: \\ad.prospere.org.uk\sharedareas\PIP Staff Shared\Curriculum\Subject Areas\English\Resources_Reading_writing_slc

External:

Supporting SEND Children at Home - this contains links for useful support videos for parents supporting SEND children at home, although some of the content in the videos would be appropriate for all parents/children

Downloadable Document - Free Websites and Apps to support with… Phonics and Early Reading

www.teachyourmonstertoread.com - games to make reading fun

www.oxfordowl.co.uk - free online reading books and matching activities

monsterphonics.com/games/ - log in for a free trial

www.phonicsplay.co.uk - free resources for our younger children to access Alphablocks episodes which can help our younger pupils to understand letters and sounds.

www.spellingshed.com - 14 day free trial

thereadingrealm.co.uk - free home learning packs can be downloaded

http://www.pobble365.com/ - new images each day to act as writing stems with questions available

LoveMYBooks - a website, which gives lots of ideas around sharing books at home and having fun together.