Communication & Reading
At Beatrice Tate School, we believe that every student deserves the opportunity to develop essential communication and reading skills that enable them to engage with the world, express themselves with confidence, and build meaningful connections. Our curriculum is designed to provide structured, accessible, and enriching experiences that empower learners, regardless of their starting point, to make progress in their communication and literacy journey.
Developing Communication and Reading for all learners
Our approach ensures that all students have access to both functional and expressive communication, alongside opportunities to develop reading skills at a level appropriate to their needs. We embed communication and literacy across the curriculum, fostering independence, confidence, and engagement through multi-sensory and interactive teaching methods.
Key Curriculum Aims:
Enhance communication skills
Support learners to develop expressive and receptive language, ensuring they can communicate their needs, thoughts, and emotions using verbal, non-verbal, or augmentative methods.
Develop reading skills
Teach all strands of the Reading Rope where appropriate, ensuring a balance between language comprehension and word recognition.
Promote active engagement
Encourage learners to interact with a wide range of texts, develop listening and comprehension skills, and access meaningful reading opportunities.
Foster confidence and independence
Enable learners to apply communication and literacy skills in real-world contexts, preparing them for future opportunities and greater autonomy.
Create a language- and print-rich environment
Ensure all learners experience communication and literacy as integral to their daily lives, using adapted and accessible materials that reflect diverse backgrounds and experiences.
A tailored, inclusive approach
As a special school, we recognise that our learners require individualised pathways to communication and reading. Our curriculum is flexible, multi-sensory, and highly responsive to each student’s needs, ensuring that literacy and communication are meaningful and functional. By embedding literacy and communication throughout school life, we support our students in developing the skills necessary to engage actively and independently in their communities.
By the time they leave Beatrice Tate School, we aim for our students to have developed the ability to communicate effectively, engage with literacy in a way that is meaningful to them, and feel empowered to participate in the world with confidence and independence.
