Signalong
Signing at St Mary’s Wavendon Primary School
St Mary’s has introduced signing as a whole-school approach to support children’s communication, language development, and social interaction. We are using Signalong as an approach to support this.
Signalong - The Communication Charity
Milton Keynes Early Years Speech and Language Therapy Team :: Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust – one of the green tabs ‘signing’ will give you more information
By embedding signs into everyday routines, staff are creating a more inclusive environment where all children, particularly those with speech, language, or communication needs, can better express themselves and understand others.
Signing is used alongside spoken language to enhance understanding rather than replace speech. It supports key skills such as attention, listening, and turn-taking, while also reducing frustration for children who may struggle to communicate verbally.
By using signing consistently across the school, staff promote a sense of belonging and accessibility, ensuring that all children can participate more fully in learning and social experiences.
A new sign is being introduced each week, allowing children and staff to gradually build a shared vocabulary. These signs are consistently modelled by adults and reinforced across different contexts, including lessons, playtime, worships, and transitions. This repetition helps children to retain and confidently use the signs in meaningful situations. You will see videos of the signs we are learning posted on our Facebook page each week, plus posted below.
Signing videos