COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION

At Bishopswood School, communication is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that developing strong communication and language skills is essential for our pupils' overall development, enabling them to express themselves, build relationships, access learning, and prepare for life beyond school.

We are committed to a Total Communication Approach, meaning that we use a wide range of methods to support pupils, ensuring that every child can communicate in a way that is effective and meaningful to them. Our approach is highly individualised and embedded across all activities and experiences, ensuring that pupils can develop communication skills in real-life and functional contexts.

Our Communication curriculum

Our Communication and Language curriculum is structured across key developmental areas:

✔ Listening and Attending – Pupils develop attention skills through structured activities, sensory learning, and engaging experiences, ensuring they can actively engage with their environment.

✔ Understanding (Receptive Language) – We support pupils to anticipate, comprehend, and respond to language through visual supports, objects of reference, signing, and AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) systems.

✔ Expressive Communication – Pupils are encouraged to express themselves using spoken language, Makaton signing, PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System), eye gaze technology, symbols, and body language.

✔ Social Interaction – Pupils develop essential skills such as turn-taking, requesting, responding, and building relationships, ensuring they can interact with peers and adults in a range of settings.

✔ Speech and Language Development – We work closely with Speech and Language Therapists (SaLT) to provide structured interventions and personalised strategies to support verbal and non-verbal communication.

  

Teaching approaches and strategies

We use a range of evidence-based approaches to support communication, including:

✔ Makaton and Sign-Supported Communication – Used across the school to reinforce key vocabulary.
✔ PECS and Communication Books – Providing pupils with a structured way to request, label, and interact.
✔ Objects of Reference and Visual Supports – To aid understanding and prepare pupils for transitions.
✔ Talking Mats and AAC Devices – Supporting choice-making and self-expression.
✔ Attention Autism – Engaging pupils in structured activities that develop attention, listening, and communication.
✔ Intensive Interaction – Developing early social communication through responsive and interactive engagement.
✔ Environmental Adaptations – Creating low-distraction, communication-friendly spaces that support engagement.

We ensure that every pupil has access to a learning environment that supports their individual communication needs, using tools such as visual timetables, structured routines, and adapted learning spaces to reduce barriers to communication.

 

Impact: Developing communication for life

Our communication and interaction curriculum ensures that pupils:

✔ Develop confidence in expressing their wants, needs, and ideas, using their preferred communication method.
✔ Engage in meaningful interactions with peers, staff, and the wider community.
✔ Gain independence by making choices and self-advocating in everyday situations.
✔ Are prepared for life beyond school, ensuring they can communicate in a way that supports employment, relationships, and independence.

At Bishopswood, we believe that every child has a voice, whether spoken, signed, or supported by AAC. Our role is to empower our pupils with the skills, tools, and confidence they need to engage with the world around them, build relationships, and access opportunities for the future.