Grove House School is the first specialist school for pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties in the eastern region. It is based on a  ‘best practice’ model, staffed by a collaborative team of teachers, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists. The specialist identity of the school aims to increase awareness of speech, language and communication needs and seeks to provide a valuable resource for families and professionals.

 The school offers:

• A collaborative and integrated approach to speech and language therapy
• A language enriched and communication friendly learning environment to facilitate learning progress
• Whole school Occupational Therapy strategies used by school staff to support sensory processing and emotional regulation where needed
• A triple-stranded curriculum
• A variety of approaches to the development of language and literacy skills through programmes and strategies based on clinical research and best practice
• Preparation for a broad range of nationally-recognised qualifications
• Personalised intervention programmes to target pupils’ additional needs
• Training opportunities for parents and carers focusing on how to support children and young people with SLCN

Collaborative Practice 

Fundamental to the school’s vision is the use of the collaborative practice model, where teachers, support staff, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists work together as part of a multi-disciplinary team. In order to support inclusion, speech and language therapy takes place with peers in the classroom environment. An occupational therapist contributes to the planning of practical work and again may support pupils in the classroom where necessary.

With extended skills and knowledge, staff are able to employ a number of specialist strategies to support the delivery of the curriculum to all pupils. They can modify language according to the needs of each pupil, use cross-curricular links to support pupils’ generalisation of language, pre-teach vocabulary, use visual supports and, wherever possible, take a physically active multi-sensory approach. Classroom routines and teaching strategies are shared by teaching staff across the school, allowing pupils to enjoy a consistent, specialist approach.