The Word Up approach is suitable for children working significantly below the Key Stage standards and not responding successfully to the traditional 'synthetic phonics' methods. This is a whole word reading and language development approach, particularly suitable for children who are visual learners.

Pupils:

• with visual strengths, but difficulties with the 'synthetic phonics' approach, will have access to an alternative approach to reading

Staff will:

• understand why a whole word approach to reading may be more effective for some pupils
• know how to deliver Word Up style activities

SENCOs, Teachers and Teaching Assistants

A course to support staff in schools in supporting students at an early stage of communication development to access story-based sessions to develop literacy, language and interaction skills.

Pupils will:

• be provided with appropriate strategies and support to assist their inclusion, interaction and access to a literacy and early language/interaction- based intervention

Staff will:

• have an in-depth knowledge of how sensory stories can support children with an ASD to develop their literacy, language and interaction skills
• be confident about the rationale and theory behind sensory stories

Settings will:

• have staff who have a greater understanding of how to use sensory stories to support children with an ASD

Staff supporting students at an early stage of communication development with an ASD in schools, SENCOs, Teachers and Teaching Assistants.

This course identifies and provides strategies for teaching the crucial concepts that children need to learn in the early stages of reading, from directionality through to working on unknown words in context. 

It identifies the three main sources of information that good readers use to read: Meaning, Language Structure and Phonics, and provides training on how to support these three areas in simple, practical ways. 

Participants will be taught how to take a Running Record. This is a simple assessment that can be taken on any text. They are a quick and efficient way of gathering information about a child’s reading and are particularly useful for children who struggle with reading, providing valuable information about the strategies a child uses/ignores. Once gaps have been identified they can be addressed in order to support the child’s reading development. 

Participants will:

• have a clear understanding of the building blocks that need to be taught in order for children to develop into good readers 
• be able to take and analyse a Running Record in order to identify key strengths and weaknesses of readers 
• be able to use a range of simple strategies to support children in addressing any specific gaps

Early Years, KS1 & KS2 Practitioners and Teaching Assistants