We are proud to say that St Theresa’s is Makaton Friendly. We have just achieved the Bronze Award!
Makaton is infectious in our school and is something we use every day as a way of communicating with each other. Children’s and staff confidences of using Makaton signing have flourished over the last couple of years and small steps have showcased giant strides and pride.
We are so lucky to have John as our Makaton ambassador on our student council and his amazing classroom assistant Marian leading the drive with Makaton sign language. They have worked brilliantly with Miss Duffy, our school SENCO, in getting this wonderful recognition. What an achievement!
Staff have all been trained with Denise (our speech therapists and Makaton tutor) and every Friday our Makaton team lead our weekly assembly with tasks that involve Makaton signing. Marian and John have children and staff eating out of the palm of their hands in this 10 minute slot. A small moment of weekly magic that leads to huge ripple effects where Makaton is used daily throughout the school. This involves
- Children greeting Kim at the office when leaving up the register
- Weekly set tasks for each class to showcase at next week’s assembly
- Makaton being built into class topics
- School concerts and songs showcasing Makaton
- And much more!
We are thrilled to achieve this recognition but most importantly it’s a credit to our pupils who respect and appreciate that we are an inclusive school. Those 10 minutes every Friday by John and Marian are special and they should both be very proud of what they have achieved.
So if you are calling with us, be ready for our welcoming ethos of pupils greeting you in Makaton Signing.
Níl a sárú le fáil ... “Simply The Best!”
Our school motto for every child.
