Speech and Language Resource – The Perch

The Speech and Language Resource at E P Collier School, known as The Perch, provides a welcoming and inclusive environment where children are supported to develop their communication, language, and social skills. Our aim is to help every child build confidence, independence, and a positive sense of self, enabling them to access learning and take part fully in school life.

We offer personalised support tailored to each child’s individual needs. All teaching and interventions are planned around targets set out in each child’s Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). These targets are regularly reviewed to ensure that support remains relevant and responsive to progress. We work closely with families, school staff, and external professionals to provide a consistent and holistic approach, valuing the importance of strong partnerships with parents and carers.

The resource is led by our Teacher‑in‑Charge, Mrs King, who oversees the provision and ensures high‑quality teaching and support. She is supported by our dedicated Learning Support Assistant, Mrs Korah, who plays an essential role in nurturing, encouraging, and supporting pupils throughout the school day.

We are also pleased to work closely with our NHS Speech and Language Therapist, who provides specialist assessment, advice, and targeted intervention. Her input supports the development and review of EHCP targets and helps ensure that each child’s communication needs are fully understood and effectively supported.

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What We Offer

In The Perch, we support children’s learning and development through a balance of academic, social, and emotional support. We:

• provide targeted, scaffolded teaching in Literacy, Reading, and Mathematics, planned around each child’s EHCP targets
• support children to develop communication skills, confidence, and independence through small‑group and individual learning
• teach social skills explicitly through structured sessions based on real‑life experiences, such as managing money, shopping, travel, careers, online safety, emergencies, and leisure activities
• use practical activities, role‑play, group work, and discussion to develop turn‑taking, listening, asking for help, problem‑solving, and working collaboratively
• support children’s emotional understanding and self‑regulation using the Zones of Regulation, helping them to recognise feelings, use calming strategies, and communicate emotions appropriately
• encourage children to apply these skills across school, supporting successful inclusion in their system classes and wider school life

This consistent and supportive approach helps children develop the skills they need to succeed academically, socially, and emotionally, both within The Perch and beyond.

English Learning Journey – Summer 1

This half term, children in Years 3 to 5 are using The Lost Happy Endings by Carol Ann Duffy as the focus for their English learning. Using the same text helps children build confidence with the story, characters, and language.

Narrative Writing
Children begin by writing stories, learning how to:

• describe characters and settings using carefully chosen adjectives and expanded noun phrases
• use adverbs and fronted adverbials to show time, place, and action
• vary sentence starters and use conjunctions to extend ideas
• choose interesting words for speech to show emotion
• plan their writing by discussing ideas and reading similar stories

Newspaper Report Writing
Later in the half term, children use the same text to write newspaper reports, learning how to:

• explain events clearly for a reader
• organise information in a report style
• choose appropriate vocabulary and grammar to make meaning clear

Throughout the unit, children develop enjoyment of reading, build vocabulary, and talk about themes and characters to support their writing.

Guided Reading Learning Journey- Summer 1

In guided reading, children are developing their reading skills through high‑quality class texts, using the Reading VIPERS approach (Vocabulary, Inference, Prediction, Explanation, Retrieval, and Summarising).

Year 3 are reading Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl. Children explore the text together, building confidence and enjoyment while learning to:

• understand and discuss new vocabulary
• retrieve key information from the text
• make simple predictions about what might happen next
• infer characters’ feelings and motives using clues from the story

Year 5 are reading War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. This text supports deeper discussion and understanding, with children learning to:

• explain the meaning of ambitious vocabulary in context
• infer thoughts, feelings, and viewpoints
• explain events and author choices using evidence from the text
• summarise key events and retrieve detailed information

Across both year groups, children are encouraged to talk about what they read, listen to others’ ideas, and support their answers with evidence from the text. Guided reading sessions help develop comprehension, vocabulary, and a love of reading, with learning carefully scaffolded so all children can take part confidently.

This term, children have been developing their maths skills through carefully structured lessons based on the White Rose Maths approach. Learning is broken down into small, manageable steps and supported with practical resources, discussion, and visual models to help children build confidence and understanding.

Year 3 children have been learning to:

• develop understanding of fractions (A and B), including recognising, comparing, and finding fractions of amounts
• measure and compare mass and capacity, using standard units
• tell the time and measure length, applying these skills to real‑life problems
• calculate and explore perimeter, understanding how it relates to shape and measurement

Year 5 children have been learning to:

• strengthen skills in multiplication and division (B), including problem solving
• calculate perimeter and area, using known strategies
• understand and work with negative numbers in different contexts
• develop understanding of decimals and percentages (A and B), including making links between them

Across all year groups, children are encouraged to:

• explain their thinking using mathematical language
• use concrete resources and pictorial models before moving to written methods
• apply maths skills to real‑life situations

Learning is carefully scaffolded so that all children can take part, make progress at their own pace, and develop confidence as mathematicians.

Social Skills Learning Journey – Summer 1

During Summer 1, children take part in structured social skills learning focused on emergency services, asking for help, basic first aid, and cyber safety. These sessions support children to develop confidence, independence, and effective communication skills that can be used in real‑life situations.

Children learn about the different emergency services, when and how to ask for help, and how to respond appropriately in unsafe situations. Through role‑play, discussion, and practical activities, pupils practise using clear and calm language, listening carefully, and following simple instructions. They are supported to understand how to stay safe online, recognise unsafe behaviour, and know who to talk to if they are worried.

A strong focus is placed on real‑life language use, helping children practise vocabulary and communication skills in meaningful contexts. Social skills sessions support:

• turn‑taking, listening, and responding appropriately
• using polite and assertive language to ask for help
• recognising and managing emotions in stressful situations

 

KEY DOCUMENTS 

English Curriculum- see here for our English Curriculum 

Social Skills Curriculum Overview - seen here for our Social Skills Curriculum 

Maths Curriculum Overview - see here for our Math Curriculum Overview per year group in The Perch

Addditional Information