Our Communication and Interaction Curriculum

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At Green Park School all students will have opportunities to access and develop their Communication and Interaction skills through planned and unplanned teaching sessions.

 

It is important to remember that students at Green Park School have opportunities to develop their Communication and Interaction skills in an appropriate way to suit their learning style. Some students may develop through the schemes in a linear manner, but for many students they will stay on one programme working through each level and stage.

 

Our Humanities curriculum reflects the immediate and wider world around them.

 

As students reach Yellow, Orange and Red clusters they will have opportunities to widen their knowledge on the wider world around them, learning about the language and the diverse communities associated with France, Spain, and Italy.

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• Teaching Methods
  
  At Green Park school, we adopt a number of strategies and programmes to teach all aspects of Communication and Interaction.
  
  Students who are pre-formal will have opportunities to encounter and develop their pre reading, writing, speaking and listening skills through accessing, programmes such as sensory stories & story massage, making associations between objects and words by finding corresponding objects, photographs and symbols (as appropriate) They develop Intensive Interaction, their tracking, choice making & mark making skills using sensory materials and incidental marks using writing equipment.
  
  Some students who are emerging (semi-formal) will have opportunities to continue to use the materials as stated above and begin to focus on developing an understanding that words and letters are associated with an object / picture.
  
  Green Park School have adopted the See and learn approach, which teaches students to read and recognise whole words. For example, a child may be shown the word “cat” on a flash card and is told, “This says cat.”
  
  Students will develop their handwriting skills through prewriting activities, such as making marks purposefully.
  
  Students who are following the semi-formal and formal pathways will develop their reading, writing, speaking, and listening through a systematic approach rooted in phonics.
  
  Students who are in Red and Purple clusters may have opportunities to continue to use materials as above and begin to focus on developing their reading, writing, speaking, and listening ability within the context of common every day and social situations.
  
  If the student has followed the Read Write Inc. programme, they will continue this through using the Fresh Start programme.
  
  Our Knowledge Rich Curriculum has been developed to ensure pupils make progress throughout their Green Park journey. Students will have opportunities to develop their knowledge on Humanities and MFL through differentiated lessons, which engage, excite and challenge their thoughts about the world around them.
   

• Assessment in Communication and Interaction
  
  Assessment is important for all aspects of Communication and Interaction as it is used to celebrate the steps of learning pupils have undertaken. Pupils will follow their set pathways (EYFS, Pre-formal, Semi- Formal, Formal / Functional) Their EHCP targets and Learning Passports will continue to be monitored through the EFL app.
  
  Teacher judgements are regularly assessed through moderation meetings, to ensure our systems are robust.
  
  Students following the Read Write Inc programme are assessed by the reading leader and tutor to ensure progression through the programme is maintained and any difficulties are highlighted for further intervention work.
  
  Through pupil progress meetings students are identified to attend a reading intervention to give targeted supported.
  
  Staff work closely with SALT to ensure that communication methods are consistently used between all settings. There are opportunities for students to take their personalised communication method home each day.
  
  Learning outcomes are reported on in end of year reports to parents.
   

• Working with Parents
  
  Parent consultation meetings are undertaken to discuss progress and the next steps of learning. Parents are invited to attend their child’s EHCP annual review to discuss strengths, skills, and needs.
   

• New Admission Transition Reviews
  
  An admission review will take place 6 weeks after starting at Green Park School to ensure goals are consistent, identify and resolve any concerns or worries that may exist for parents and school.
  
  Regular training sessions are offered to families to develop their child’s Communication and Interaction skills at home.

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• Staff Training and Expertise
  
  All staff have undertaken Read Write Inc training, CPD is ongoing, and the school is supported regularly by a Ruth Miskin Consultant Trainer.
  
  The school is fortunate to have many trained staff in a variety of techniques pertinent to Communication and Interaction. These include Makaton, TaSSels, PECS and Intensive Interaction.
   

• Our Reading Scheme
  
  At Green Park School we follow a Total Communication approach, where all students have access to develop their expressive language skills using an appropriate method, such as Makaton, TaSSels, PECS, object cues, Eye Gaze, Intensive interactions, voice output devices.
  
  Green Park School have adopted Read Write Inc (RWI), which has provided a systematic and consistent approach to our teaching of reading and writing. Students will learn to read fluently and at speed so they can focus on developing their skills in comprehension, vocabulary, and spelling.
  
  For a minority of students at Green Park School who complete the Read Write Inc programme and /or Freshstart, we seek further opportunities.
  
  All classrooms have a reading area, containing a variety of high-quality reading resources, such as fiction texts, including sensory stories, board books, noisy books; and non-fiction texts, including newspapers, posters, magazines leaflets.

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