At Grove House we intend that our pupils will.......

develop their understanding of vocabulary and grammar in order to support their learning within education and in a variety of social situations so that they can successfully access the academic curriculum and skills for life. 

At Grove House School we continuously endeavor to provide effective, responsive and evidence based Speech and Language Therapy for our students to support their speech, language and communication needs. Language Skills sessions are therefore an integral part of our curriculum with an aim to support the academic and social, emotional and mental health strands. All students receive weekly Language Skills sessions delivered by a Speech and Language Therapist and these sessions involve small group interventions with programmes formulated by the therapist.

Language Skills sessions aim to develop  students’ understanding of language including vocabulary, instructions and question levels, as well as their ability to use language functionally through expanding their sentences, developing grammar and narrative skills. All students are assessed using the Test of Abstract Language Comprehension (TALC-1/2) to determine their understanding of question levels (Blank Levels) and are supported to develop their understanding of increasingly complex questions. Therapists also carry out termly testing to identify targeted vocabulary for each of the students and measure progress. These words are also shared with teaching staff and parents in order to facilitate positive learning outcomes and deliver a collaborative approach. As a whole school we adopt the Word Aware approach to vocabulary teaching which uses key strategies for teaching vocabulary such as repetition and identifying semantic, phonological and syntactic information to support word learning e.g. word maps.  The aim of this approach is to reduce the barriers caused by language and communication difficulties, in order to  facilitate students in accessing the curriculum and reaching their academic and social potential.

In order to support language learning throughout the day, as a school we provide a language enriched, communication friendly learning environment for all of our pupils through the consistent and wide use of core strategies. We provide a highly visual environment through the use of visuals such as Widgit and Makaton to support students in understanding language and accessing the curriculum.  The Speech and Language Team deliver regular training and CPD sessions to all of our staff to ensure that they are equipped with the skills and knowledge to support children with speech, language and communication needs throughout the day.