Curriculum Navigation
Communication Interventions & SALT
We assess year 7 students on Receptive and Expressive language skills as they join Highfield school which helps to identify students and provide targeted intervention. We work alongside the class teachers to support in achieving identified student’s communication targets and we work very closely with the Speech Therapist and SENCO where we share ideas, provide feedbacks and decide next steps.
SALT are in school for one day a week.
We also provide whole school training to raise awareness of issues related to communication difficulties and provide appropriate strategies. We have recently started rolling out the Colourful Semantics intervention as a whole school approach. This is a Speech and Language therapy technique which uses colour coded cards to help children to learn the important elements of sentence and how to join them together in the correct order.
We promote a communication friendly environment to develop positive communication and interaction skills for all students and additional support for students with additional needs eg symbol supported text around school, individualised targets and routines as well as tailor made social stories to learn social norms and interaction. This also promotes a total communication approach which is at the heart of our school’s improvement plan
We are working alongside the Speech Therapist to further develop number of different communication systems, approaches and resources to further communication skills of our students.
The low-tech systems we use  are PECS, communication books and communication boards and high-tech AAC incorporating the use of voice output communication aids are Proloquo2go, Supercore-grid and Lamp-words for life.
Additionally, we support EAL students in learning new vocabulary using topic-based curriculum and also liaise with, and support parents.
Makaton

Total Communication and supporting all our pupils to access their learning is at the heart of everything we do. One strategy we use to support this is signing utilising the Makaton system. It is one layer amongst many for pupils and staff to communicate ensuring everyone can express themselves and feel valued. Makaton incorporates speech and signs (gestures) to help people communicate as well as facial expressions, eye contact and body language to give us as much information as possible when we interact. Makaton is used throughout our school and we find it very affective in supporting our pupils with their choices, building their vocabulary and communicating generally which in turn then helps them to develop socially and grow vital self-esteem. Makaton is critical in helping students with communication difficulties at Highfield meet their full potential.

 

Here are some links to learn Makaton and ways to support your child with signing at home:

https://makaton.org/

https://singinghands.co.uk/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/search?q=makaton

Visual Impairment & CSIT

We have on average 10% of our students who have a visual impairment.

We work closely with the Qualified Teacher for Visual Impairment (QTVI), and the Qualified Teacher of Multi-Sensory Impairments (QTMSI) alongside school staff and the SENCO to help support our students in all aspects of their visual impairments.

Staff from CSIT visit school roughly once a week.

This includes assisting in functional visual assessments, carrying out equipment and adaptation checks, and reformatting / modifying work to enable our students to access the curriculum in order to maximise their potential. We deliver interventions in Positive Looking, Fine Motor Skills and Keyboard Awareness to support a wide range of visual skills.

For our students who require further interventions for Habilitation, we work alongside the Hab Specialist to deliver regular and targeted formal mobility and orientation training, using either a range of pre-cane techniques (such as sighted guide) or long cane techniques. These interventions help to develop identified areas of need and to support their EHCP outcomes, enabling students to travel both within school and the local community with increased confidence and independence.

Stride Theatre

Stride

Stride Theatre delivers PSHE through the use of drama, speech and movement. We aim to cover a wide range of topics to ensure the students have valuable life skills and coping mechanisms. By using drama, improvisation and movement techniques the students have the chance to act out how situations will feel to them and what they may look like from another perspective. We also encourage openness of opinions so these can be explored and modified if needed. This has proved to be effective for many students as it is ‘real life’ which makes it more understandable for them, and as they can speak openly, they have the chance to speak for themselves. We also use games and group discussions to ensure the sessions have a variety of activities to suit every individual.

Stride Theatre use the government guidelines of the PSHE curriculum which include:

  • Themselves (Self-awareness, emotional wellbeing)
  • Relationships (friendship, families)
  • Health and safety (Healthy living, personal safety, personal hygiene)
  • Community (Environment, citizenship, rights and responsibilities, respecting differences)

Taking these into account we have developed our topics into the below headings, within each of these there are many ways to deliver each subject and we tailor our sessions to make sure they are delivered according to the groups needs, interests and goals.
We begin with basic listening, speaking and movement skills, this provides a base to work from.

Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy

One day a week we have a visiting Music Therapist.

Student’s are provided with short theraay sessions to support with communication, emotional and sensory regulation.

Seb also spends time with some of our classes with more complex needs such as the SCERTS class.

UK’s Largest Independent Music Therapy Charity | Home | Nordoff Robbins (nordoff-robbins.org.uk)