As a school, we work with students who have communication or feeding difficulties.  This involves working closely with Natalie and Nicky, our Speech and Language therapists,  school staff and parents / carers to develop students’ communication  or feeding  skills within the school day. Students have the opportunity to work individually or in groups  to develop specific  skills, whilst another aspect of our role is to promote communication  strategies throughout the school.

Autumn Term Communication activities

At Regency High School, we know that the ability to communicate – to say what you want to say and to understand what other people are saying – is fundamental to life chances.

Vocabulary at age five is one of the most significant predictors of the qualifications pupils achieve when they leave school. We therefore prioritise the development of pupils’ language and vocabulary as we strive to provide a learning environment in which all of our children can succeed, and ensure that they are well-prepared for working life once they leave education.

Our whole school approach to developing pupils’ language includes:

• Using ambitious texts in our English lessons to increase children’s exposure to high-level and varied vocabulary

• Identifying and planning key words to teach with each new topic or text

• Displaying focus words of the week around the school

• Praising and rewarding pupils who use newly taught words

• Engaging pupils in word meanings. We explicitly teach children the meaning of new words, using a multi-sensory, interactive approach such as ‘Star Word’.

How can you help at home?

Talking to and reading with your child are two terrific ways to help them hear and read new words.

‘The quality of parent-child interactions is one of the biggest factors influencing vocabulary, so it’s vital to talk to your child and expose them to different words.

Try naming objects, using number words, and introducing words that explain emotions: the more words they understand, the more they will be able to use.’

(Alice Penfold, National Literacy Trust)

Regular reading is key to developing a wide vocabulary:

• Make reading a routine with a regular slot each day

• Read widely – follow your child’s interests and encourage them to read for enjoyment

• Keep reading aloud to your child, even once they’re able to read on their own: children love to hear stories, and you can build their vocabulary by choosing books that would be too difficult for them to read themselves.

Play word games

I Spy, Scrabble, Boggle and Bananagrams are just a few of the huge range of word games that will help your child learn new words. By

introducing new vocabulary through games, language-learning becomes interactive and fun for children.

Word a Day

Introducing a new word each day will boost your child’s vocabulary by 365 words every year, and is an activity that the whole family can get involved with.

As well as word a day calendars, there are numerous websites and apps that generate words of the day.