Makaton

At Clifton School Makaton is one form of Communication. We have a Communication Policy in place for Staff, Pupils and Parents which is available from the office.

Being able to communicate is one of the most important skills we need in life. Almost everything we do involves communication; everyday tasks such as learning at school, asking for food and drink, sorting out problems, making friends and having fun. These all rely on our ability to communicate with each other.
Makaton is a language programme using signs and symbols to help people to communicate. It is designed to support spoken language and the signs and symbols are used with speech, in spoken word order.
With Makaton, children and adults can communicate straight away using signs and symbols. Many people then drop the signs or symbols naturally at their own pace, as they develop speech.

https://www.makaton.org/aboutMakaton/

There are a range of free resources available on the Makaton Website which can be useful in the home setting. We have uploaded some for you to see. 

https://www.makaton.org/shop/shopping/browseStore/Free-resources

We held a Parental Workshop in January 2018 with Carrie and Liz, Regional Makaton Tutors. This proved very beneficial to our Parents.

Our staff have the opportunities to develop their Makaton via the Foundation Stage and then the Enhanced Course.

Should you wish to gain any more advice you can contact our Speech and Language Therapists at Clifton or Makaton NI directly.