Rabbsfarm Primary School

In all classes all staff are equipped with visuals to support children with communication and interaction needs. These help with children receiving positive reinforcement for their behaviour and also act as visual cue to support language and memory difficulties.

At Rabbsfarm Primary School we support children’s communication and interaction (CAIT) needs in a number of ways as they are a key component of children’s development and the need to communicate effectively is paramount.

A Language Link screening assessment is used to check the language skills of all children in Reception. This screening process is carried out to identify children who need support with their communication and interaction skills.

High Quality Teaching

The high quality teaching at Rabbsfarm Primary School promotes communication and interaction development. Some children have mild communication difficulties that can be supported through high quality teaching in class.

Many of our staff members have completed training courses in language and communication support (e.g. ELKLAN, Signalong). Our LSA’s have also received regular training from the Speech and Language Therapist in order to help support pupils that they work with in class.

Examples of strategies that are being used as part of high quality teaching include:

multi-sensory teaching approaches
questions are pitched at different levels
purposeful seating arrangements
abstract concepts made concrete (e.g. maths word problems are modelled with resources)
pre-teaching vocabulary or concepts to enable access to future lessons
new or difficulty vocabulary is clarified, written up, displayed and revisited
visual timetables to help children understand the structure of the day

Visual Timetables are displayed as appropriate. In year 1-3 they are displayed at the front of the classroom and children who need extra support have their own timetables. These visually support children with the structure of the day, which not only supports childrens CAIT needs but also their cognition and learning (COLT) needs, such as memory.

Also, around all classes we have brilliant visual vocab displays to clarify new or difficult vocabularly. Children can then revisit their learning by looking at the displays and this will further support and embed language skills.

Communication is fundamental to a child’s development. The ability to communicate and interact with others is essential for children to learn, play and develop friendships. At Rabbsfarm we are committed to supporting children’s development of communication and interaction skills.

Some children experience difficulties with communicating and interacting with others. They may experience difficulties with one or more of the following:

Understanding what others are saying
Using words to express themselves
Listening and paying attention
Interacting with other children (social skills)
Pronouncing words
Speaking fluently (stammering)

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder are also supported by the communication and interaction team.

If your child is accessing Speech and Language Therapy, the therapist will speak with you about things that you can do at home to support your child’s communication skills.

If you would like any further information on the CAIT support we offer at Rabbsfarm Primary School please contact Sara Daly, the schools SENCo, on

If you think your child might need help with their communication and interaction needs at home you can support them in the following ways:

Empahsising key words or phrases when speaking to them
Ensuring that attention is gained before asking questions or giving instructions
Use their name to gain their attention
Using non-verbal means of communication e.g. gestures (nodding/ shaking head), picture cards (for daily routines)
Engage the child in joint activities that they have an interest in
Follow the child lead, rather than directing them this will make them more likely to engage in the activity

Useful Links (click on logo to go directly to the website):

Hillingdon Pediatric Speech & Language Therapy Service is the service that our in school speech and language therapist works for.

National Autistic Society (NAS) - provide advice, information and a helpline for those with a child with Autism.

Elklan - writes and delivers accredited courses fo staff or parents working with those with speech, language and communication needs.

The Communication Trust - Charitable organisation that provides suggestions and advice for supporting children and young people with communication and interaction needs

Hillingdon Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy - offer speech and language therapy for children and young people, in Hillingdon, to help them talk

They are divided into three specialist teams who work in slightly different ways to help children and young people in Hillingdon to talk. To find out more about each of our specialist teams, including what the team does, where the team is based and how to refer to each team click the icons below:

- Early Years Speech and Language Therapy Team

- Mainstream Schools Speech and Language Therapy Team

- Hearing Impairment Speech and Language Therapy Team

The Team be contacted through the Central Referral and Messaging Service on 01895 488200.

Key Information

What is Communication and Interaction?

How do we implement this within the school?

How can I support at home?