English is a core subject nationally and core to what we want to achieve for the pupils at Cromwell High School.
There are two main areas of this subject:
- face to face communication: Speaking and Listening
- recorded communication: especially Literacy
There is clearly a huge cross-over with the vital area of 'communication' across the school but there is also a different emphasis. Whereas communication targets will focus narrowly on the most useful strategies for the pupil in the wider world, English will also give wider skills and stimulating experiences and key to these is the development of 'reading' and enjoying books.
Pupils study English in classes grouped according to their needs so that teachers can accurately target their learning.
We call Reading "enjoying making sense of books". This is to stress that the essential skill of reading is decoding text using all the cues available; any pictures attached to the text, the overall meaning of the story as well as sensory experiences associated with each page. Equally, writing is recording and presenting information. Pupils can achieve this through pre-prepared symbols and pictures as well as through mark making in different media. Pupils learn much more effectively when they are happy, confident and motivated therefore all teaching strategies seek to develop these qualities. Literacy can include the most motivating areas for each pupil. School will not seek to over-correct pupils but rather teach them one step at a time and reinforce confidence through success.
Pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties develop their responses to sensory stories and dramas. Staff develop their face to face communication by reinforcing pupils' responses and the choices they make. Pupils learn to understand recorded communication through the use of "objects of reference", switches and developing their understanding of pictures and video. Pupils can even access important literary works through sensory sequences and then go on to develop core communication skills in response.
Pupils learning to use photographs and symbols can develop these skills in response to books including some classic stories. They can also develop their use of strategies such as Picture Exchange including developing the of a "sentence strip" and the ability to comment with the "I see..." sentence starter. Speaking and Listening is developed both through Picture Exchange, through signing (sign assisted English), and through mini drama scenes that can teach the understanding of target vocabulary through repetition.
