At Pear Tree High School, communication is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that every student communicates differently, and we are committed to ensuring that all students have access to the tools, strategies and specialist support they need to express themselves, understand others and participate fully in school life.
Our bespoke communication offer is built around a universal, targeted and specialist approach. This ensures that high-quality communication support is embedded throughout the whole school, while also allowing individual students to access more personalised intervention when required.
Our universal communication offer is designed to make Pear Tree an AAC-friendly and communication-accessible school. Communication support is embedded across classrooms, corridors, communal areas, enrichment spaces and outdoor environments, enabling students to communicate effectively throughout the entirety of their school day.
Permanent internal and external communication resources have been installed across the site, providing students with consistent access to visual symbols, core vocabulary and functional language. These resources support students to make choices, express needs, share opinions, ask for help and engage more independently with the people and environments around them.
The school building is symbol-signposted to support understanding, navigation and independence. Clear and consistent visual information helps students to recognise different spaces, anticipate routines and move around the site with greater confidence.
Outdoor communication boards are also positioned across key areas of the school grounds. These ensure that communication opportunities are not limited to the classroom and remain available during social times, physical activity, outdoor learning and enrichment.
Tailored core vocabulary boards have been developed across the breadth of the curriculum. These resources contain carefully selected vocabulary linked to individual subjects, activities and learning environments. By providing students with immediate access to relevant language, the boards support increased participation, engagement and independence. They enable students to comment, answer questions, make requests, share ideas and demonstrate their understanding in ways that are accessible to them.
Our communication resources are designed to support a wide range of students, including those who use symbols, signing, spoken language, communication books, high-tech AAC devices or a combination of approaches.
Consistency is fundamental to the success of our communication offer. Staff use shared symbols, vocabulary, visual supports and communication strategies across the building, reducing the need for students to relearn systems as they move between lessons, classrooms and staff teams.
Whole-school communication packs provide staff with access to high-quality, consistent resources that can be used throughout the school day. These include core boards, visual schedules, regulation resources, enrichment boards and functional communication supports.
Staff also receive ongoing training and guidance to ensure that communication resources are not simply displayed, but are modelled and used meaningfully alongside students.
Our Sign of the Week initiative provides regular opportunities for students and staff to develop their use of British Sign Language and key word signing.
Signs are practised weekly during tutor time and are reinforced throughout the school day. The initiative focuses on useful and meaningful vocabulary, including greetings, emotions, needs, colours, numbers and curriculum-related language.
This whole-school approach helps to create a shared communication culture, extends students’ expressive and receptive language skills and encourages all members of the school community to communicate in increasingly inclusive ways.
Some students benefit from additional targeted support to develop specific areas of communication. This may include structured interventions focusing on attention and listening, receptive language, expressive language, social communication, vocabulary development, interaction or the functional use of AAC.
Targeted support is informed by students’ individual strengths, needs and EHCP outcomes. Strategies are embedded within everyday teaching and learning so that skills can be practised and generalised across different people, activities and environments.
Close collaboration between teachers, support staff, families and external professionals ensures that targeted strategies remain consistent and purposeful.
Students with more complex communication needs may receive specialist input from qualified Speech and Language Therapists. Professional Speech and Language Therapy input may include assessment, observation, individualised programmes, direct intervention, staff coaching and recommendations for communication systems or AAC.
Therapists work collaboratively with school staff to ensure that specialist advice is implemented consistently across the student’s school day. This allows communication strategies to become part of everyday practice rather than being limited to individual therapy sessions. Where appropriate, specialist interventions are reviewed regularly and adapted in response to each student’s progress and changing needs.
Communication Without Limits – Our Whole School Pledge.
Our aim is to remove barriers to communication and ensure that every student has a meaningful voice. Through our universal environment, targeted interventions and specialist professional support, we provide students with multiple ways to communicate, participate and succeed. Our communication offer promotes independence, strengthens relationships, supports emotional regulation and enables students to take a more active role in their learning and wider school community.
At Pear Tree High School, communication is not viewed as an isolated area of provision. It is a shared responsibility and an essential part of every student’s education.
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| Communication Offer |
| Communication Pledge |