Reading
Reading forms part of our daily practice and is built in to all aspects of the curriculum across the school from 4- 19. Reading is used throughout the day, allowing our students to access the world around them. Our key interventions; Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), TEACCH, social stories and comic strip conversations; all require our students to use and apply their reading skills by recognising pictures, symbols, words and their meanings. Attention Autism sessions are delivered with stage 1 focussing on developing phase 1 phonic skills. Students need to be able to read/comprehend and act on a whole range of visual symbols, along with written words in order to build their knowledge and understanding in all areas of the curriculum.
Intent
To give every student the ability to read and comprehend the pictures, symbols and the written word, supporting them to develop within the five areas of the school aims and preparing them for adulthood.
Implementation
Reading is taught by embedding comprehension in functional and recreational activities using a cross curricular approach. For example through;
- Discrete teaching: Phonics taught using Twinkl phonics, 1:1 reading with an adult following the reading scheme, OCR English functional skills.
- Our interventions: PECS, Social Stories, Now and next boards, daily timetables, visual stories, visual strategies, behaviour techniques – on white boards.
- Functional Reading: recipes, instructions, shopping lists, menus, words in the environment such as; shop signs and items in the supermarket, vocational instructions / work experience – following rules of job, map reading.
- Cross curricular teaching: Multi-sensory stories, Colourful Semantics, Comprehension of concepts through visuals– across all lessons, Reading numbers, Number word problems, OCR maths functional skills, OCR accreditation, ICT – word problems & instructions on how to play games / complete an activity, First news & comprehension, Pobble 365, Reading comprehension, Reading for information, Library trips, FAFTAS – learning lines, Colourful Semantics, Debating.
Impact
Students are able to effectively use pictures, symbols and the written word in their everyday lives to access, understand and share information.
