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If you have any questions for our Speech & Language Therapy Team please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Speech and Language Therapy
Mary Hare School has a dedicated team of Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists developing their specialism in deafness, and very experienced Speech and Language Therapy Support Practitioners/Assistants who will support students throughout their journey at the school.
The support they are given is based on their needs as identified by their EHCP and/or following a review of their assessment results. This can include both individual and group therapy. We also support staff to run a number of lunch time clubs that aim to develop social skills and communication skills, and work alongside Teachers of the Deaf in the classrooms.
A great part of having our own Speech and Language Therapy team on site is that students are not removed from lessons, so they do not need to worry about having to catch up on missed learning in the classroom. Instead, sessions typically take place during form times, lunchtimes or after school.
Therapists work closely with the Teachers of the Deaf, specialist Teaching Assistants, our onsite Audiology Team and the Residential Care Team to support the pupil’s listening and communication skills and ensure that speech and language targets are implemented across the school day. They also provide advice and training to all the staff at Mary Hare.
Our team are also experienced in working with young people who have additional language difficulties such as Stammering, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Auditory Neuropathy and Developmental Language Disorder
Areas of focus in our Speech and Language Therapy sessions include:
Speech and Language programme
Developing listening skills
Improving voice pitch, rhythm, fluency and intonation
Improving speech sound production and articulation
Lip-reading skills
Narrative skills
Developing inference and higher-level language skills
Speech and Language programme continued
Communication skills
Emotional literacy
Social skills
Deaf Identity
Primary School
Primary pupils are seen 2 to 3 times a week depending on their needs identified on their EHCP and through our own assessments. Provision includes individual as well as group sessions and occasionally the therapists work alongside the children in class when needed.
Therapists work closely with both parents and staff making sure that targets are shared and integrated throughout the school day into all teaching and learning. Activities are sent home fortnightly to provide advice and ideas for parents to complete with their child.
We believe every child has the right to develop their spoken language skills and have a ‘voice’. At Mary Hare, pupils have a nurturing, supportive environment where they are immersed in a language-rich environment, giving them every opportunity to reach their full potential.
Secondary School
Group and individual sessions are available for pupils to improve their spoken language skills and communication. Pupils do not miss lessons to attend Speech and Language therapy – these are timetabled for lunch times or after school.
For those pupils requiring additional language support, the Speech Therapist delivers a jointly taught intervention lesson with a qualified English Teacher of the Deaf. Our team also work closely with teachers giving advice on individual pupils and teaching programmes.
Sixth Form
Our Sixth Form programmes aim to develop independence and life skills to support the pupils as they prepare for life after Mary Hare.
We provide programmes to support pupils applying for their driving license, preparing them for university and can assist them with the learning of communication skills and tactics, which is particularly helpful for interviews.
Ready to take the next step?
If you are interested in finding out more about us, you can get in touch with us to book in a visit and see our school in action.
Or, if you have visited us already, now is a good time to book in an assessment.