Language Provision – Statement of Intent
Intent
The Language Provision at Raglan Primary School is a 2-class Additionally Resourced Provision (ARP) for up to 30 children with Speech and Language needs, aged 4-11 years. Currently, the classes are decided by the age of the children; Sharks class with children between Reception and Year 3 and Frogs class with children from Year 4 and Year 6.
The children who attend the Language Provision all have an Educational Health Care Plan which states that their main need is communication and interaction, whereby they are recommended to receive intensive Speech and Language Therapy on a weekly basis.
Pupils who attend the Language Provision have access to specialist teaching to address and support their individual needs. They are provided with opportunities to develop a number of aspects of their learning, primarily their communication and language skills, as well as their social interaction with their peers, both in the ARP and with those in the mainstream school. All pupils in the Language Provision are placed by the Local Borough of Bromley and have an Educational Health Care Plan.
Implementation
In the Language Provision at Raglan Primary School, we offer an exciting, creative and ambitious curriculum, which is broad and balanced across all age groups with appropriate challenge for all pupils. Teaching and learning is carefully planned, with the needs of the children being at the forefront of all areas of development and learning.
The development of communication and language skills, social interaction, independence and life skills, as well early Mathematics and Literacy skills underpin the offer of the curriculum to the children in the Language Provision.
Learning is adapted and tailored primarily from the Early Years Foundation Stage framework and the National Curriculum. Due to the range of a variety of learning styles, the planning of the curriculum is highly differentiated to meet the individual needs of all children in the Language Provision.
Teaching and learning in the Language Provision takes place through a balance of child-initiated play and learning, small teaching focus groups led by an adult and cross provision learning where children’s needs are met by learning with those working at a similar ability level. Where children are unable to access subject-specific study, modifications to the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and The National Curriculum are made in order for the children to develop an awareness of the world around them, as well as to engage and inspire them through a variety of learning opportunities.
The aim of the curriculum offer in the Language Provision is to ensure that all pupils make good progress towards their long term outcomes, set out in their Educational Health Care Plan, as well as ensuring that they are ready for their next steps and phase of education. Furthermore, teaching and learning is planned in order to promote and develop the children’s independence and life skills to support their journey to adulthood. Developing their communication, language, interaction and social skills is of key importance in all areas of their learning.
Teaching and learning is delivered across both classes in the Language Provision by 2 experienced teachers in Special Education as well as additional support staff as required. The children also have access to their Speech and Language therapy in line with Section F of their EHCPs. This is delivered by 2 Speech and Language Therapists from Words First, with support from a Speech and Language Specialist Teaching Assistant. The children are grouped according to their abilities and great thought and care is taken when planning for their learning opportunities across the curriculum with the Speech and Language Therapists involved in this process. B Squared is used as an assessment tool to track the children’s academic progress and identify next steps for teaching and learning.
In the Language Provision, a range of teaching techniques are used in order to cater for the needs of all children and play-based learning is of particular importance as it allows the children to develop their communication and language, as well as their social skills such as turn-taking. Play-based opportunities are both child-led and adult-led and all children in the Language Provision have daily opportunities to access the indoor and outdoor continuous provision, as well as daily focus groups to develop their academic and speech and language skills and needs.
Makaton signing and Widget symbols play a huge part in the daily teaching and learning of the children. All staff working within the provision are highly experienced with both and use these strategies consistently on a daily basis. Whole class speech and language therapy sessions are planned and delivered by the Speech and Language Therapists on a weekly basis, in order to support and enhance the development of the children’s skills towards their termly speech and language targets.
All children are set termly speech and language targets, which are derived from their long term outcomes set out in their Educational Health Care Plans. Class teachers and teaching assistants meet regularly with the Speech and Language Therapists in order to set these targets, implement them and then review in order to plan for each child’s next steps.
Inclusion for our children within the mainstream environment is key for the children in the Language Provision in order to further develop their communication, language and social skills. Daily opportunities are provided to engage with their peers in the mainstream environment during playtimes, lunch times and assembly times. Where appropriate where a child’s language and understanding is of a level in line with their mainstream peers, further opportunities for them to immerse themselves in the mainstream classroom are provided for subjects such as Maths, English as well as the Foundation subjects. These opportunities have proved to be highly successful for both confidence, independence and further academic success, in addition to their speech and language skills.
Impact
All children in the Language Provision at Raglan make good progress towards their Speech and Language targets, as well as their long term outcomes stated in their Educational Health Care Plans. Children in the Language Provision are highly inspired by the broad opportunities that they are provided with on a daily basis. They are keen learners, who engage with enthusiasm and curiosity in all areas of their learning. The children in the Language Provision are happy, kind and resilient; they take on new opportunities and challenges and rise to the occasion with the dedicated support from the highly experienced staff that work with them on a day-to-day basis.
With the highly experienced Speech and Language Therapy provided as well as a bespoke curriculum to support the needs of the children, successful integration into the mainstream school has been achieved for some where they have now transitioned into a mainstream class on a full-time basis.