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

develop their understanding of turn taking in a variety of situations and how to present their own and interpret others' tone of voice and body language for appropriate social interaction so that they can behave acceptably in different contexts. 

At Grove House School we recognise the importance of social skills support for students with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) and Autism due to the range of barriers that social communication difficulties can lead to. Through providing consistent and effective support for social communication, we aim to increase participation, independence and wellbeing for all of our pupils. Social Skills sessions are therefore an integral part of our therapeutic curriculum, with an aim to facilitate the academic and social, emotional and wellbeing strands. All students receive weekly Social Skills sessions delivered by a Speech and Language Therapist and these sessions involve paired or small group interventions with programmes formulated by the therapist.

Social Skills sessions aim to  support students in understanding and using non-verbal communication skills and develop their confidence in communicating with both familiar and less familiar people. Students are provided with opportunities to develop their ability to initiate conversation, take turns, talk about different topics, as well as maintain and repair conversation. They are given opportunities to take part in paired and small group activities to develop their confidence in communicating and building relationships with others. We use evidence based interventions such as the TalkAbout, Lego Therapy and the Social Use of Language Programme (SULP) to support our students in developing their social communication skills in structured and repetitive methods to facilitate their learning.  As students progress through the school, we target higher level social skills such as debating, understanding the opinions of others (theory of mind) and assertiveness skills. Our social skills curriculum aims to support students in understanding and managing social interactions safely and independently within the school and wider community to assist them in developing positive relationships and increased wellbeing.

In order to support social communication needs throughout the day, as a school we provide a consistent and collaborative approach through using key strategies. We use the Zones of Regulation Programme as a whole school approach to support students in understanding emotions and using strategies to encourage self-regulation. 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 social communication needs throughout the day.