SEND
Talking Mats
Overview
Learn how to effectively use Talking Mats® to support children and young people with communication difficulties to share their feelings, thoughts, experiences and views. This licensed Foundation Training introduces the Talking Mats approach, helping participants develop the knowledge and practical skills needed to facilitate meaningful conversations and promote participation in decision-making. The course explores how visual communication can support a range of communication needs, enabling children and young people to express preferences, opinions and experiences in a person-centred way.
Training is free for members of the Institute, however, there will be a small resource charge per candidate
Our Aims
- Empower teachers to strengthen their pedagogical practice, ensuring high-quality, inclusive, and adaptive teaching that meets the diverse needs of all learners, particularly those with SEND.
- Create a culture of excellence in teaching and learning, with consistently high expectations for every pupil. Equip teachers to adapt their approaches to remove barriers, close gaps, and enable all children, regardless of background or need, to achieve their full potential.
- Develop teachers’ expertise through targeted professional development, academic research, collaboration, and the sharing of best practice, with a strong focus on adaptive teaching strategies and subject-specific pedagogy.
Course Leader
Jen Hutchinson
Speech and Language Therapist
Jen loves her role as Speech and Language Therapist. She has 20 years’ experience supporting children, young people, and adults with a wide range of speech, language and communication needs. Jen is committed to helping students become skilled and confident communicators so that they can get the most out of their time in school. Jen values working with students, as well as other important people in their life, to achieve this.