EDUCATIONSPEAK TOGETHER
Eight-week teaching & facilitation plan
Find your voice. Build confidence. Communicate your way.
Teaching, training & impact edition · 20 October 2026 · Upper-primary focus; adapt to individual access, communication and regulation needs.
Open Teacher desk, choose a week and Start guided week. The teaching companion gives preparation, practical small-group drama steps, model invitations, observation cues and access choices. Choose the current teaching step as you lead the lesson.
Use Pupil view for projection; Exit focus view returns the teacher guidance. The complete lesson sequence remains below and in the printable manual.
Plan a starting group of around 4–6 pupils with a trained lead and support matched to communication, access and regulation needs. Group size is a practical planning choice, not a fixed staffing ratio. For a class of 30, repeat the full lesson across separate group slots, or use shorter supervised practice stations. An eight-minute station is not equivalent to a 55-minute lesson. Each core lesson totals 55 minutes; split into shorter turns while preserving check-in and reflection. Continue, Consolidate or Extend from evidence, not a calendar deadline.
Speech, AAC, symbols, signing, gesture, writing, recorded voice, character, communication partner and listening first are valid routes. No pupil is required to make eye contact, speak live or share publicly. Watching, passing and returning later are participation choices. Respond to meaning rather than accent, fluency, speed or performance style.
A trained lead models drama, ensemble safety, physicality, character distance and improvisation. An access lead prepares AAC, local device speech and optional recording. School staff practise, adapt and review delivery. Each modelled session leaves a repeatable exercise, an observation and one adult facilitation target.
Use anonymous adult examples for demonstrations. Do not type identifiable pupil data into this demo or unapproved services. Confirm school permissions before recording; agree approved storage, access and deletion. Notes stay in this tab using sessionStorage and may be restored by the browser. Export only if useful, then Clear session on shared devices. Downloads are not deleted by Clear session. Recordings stay in memory and must be downloaded before leaving Character Bridge if you want to keep them.
This is an educational programme, not therapy or a diagnostic assessment. This plan adapts the supplied eight-week scheme to the actual demonstration system. Use the activities alongside the teaching guidance and adapt access to the group.
WEEK 1 · 55 MINUTES
Safety, choice and a starting point
Outcome: Choose a way to join, communicate in two familiar tasks, and agree one small goal.
Observe: Confidence and participation; communication choices; expressing ideas
Familiar picture prompts, objects, usual AAC system and vocabulary, a quiet observe space and two activity stations. Open Voice Lab and the communication board. Use anonymous notes; check school recording permissions before offering audio.
Show a feeling or energy cue and ask how each pupil wants to join. Accept a point, sign, gesture, device selection, speech or watching. Agree pause, pass and return signals; model the communication board without requiring its use.
In the system / room: Voice Lab: communication choices; board: I need time / I want to listen.
Adult offers a fictional name or neutral greeting with one movement, symbol or sound. Invite the ensemble to mirror once. Pupils can offer, choose for an adult to perform, or watch. Avoid requiring names or personal disclosure.
In the system / room: Room-based drama; a puppet, object or seated gesture can carry the action.
Model the same idea by gesture, text and a device. Pupils choose helpful methods and supports; ask what is useful today, rather than making a permanent label. Make an optional plan in the facilitator tools.
In the system / room: Open planning tools: choose methods and supports. Symbols, partner and listen-first routes remain available.
Offer share a favourite fictional object, select a question, describe a picture, or respond to a surprising classroom prop. Model one turn. Pupils choose two tasks, each with a clear listener. Wait, invite a check and change support if needed.
In the system / room: Use Picture talk for a shared prompt, or physical objects. Start / Build / Finish can hold a short message; a partner can scribe.
Ask Easy / I could have a go / I needed help / Not yet. Accept nonverbal selection and exact pupil words where offered. Notice route and support, not whether speech occurred.
In the system / room: My Journey: starting-task rating, strength and barrier; these are not scores.
Complete ‘This week I would like to try…’. Identify a familiar context and support role. End with the same calm gesture or sign-off. Offer a private reflection and the right not to share.
In the system / room: My Journey: starting task, route, next goal and context. Download an anonymous snapshot only if useful.
Observe first; offer two choices; adult models or voices the pupil-selected message. Use 1:1 partner, symbol, gesture or familiar AAC.
Choose two stations and communicate with the displayed prompt sequence. Request support when wanted.
Add a less familiar listener, one reason or one agreed follow-up question while retaining access supports.
Model invitation, safe mirroring and noticing reluctance without lowering expectations. Staff practise waiting rather than filling silence.
You can join in your way. Watching first is joining. Would you like to say it, show it, choose it or use a character?
Record the starting task wording, chosen route, support, one strength, one barrier and the pupil's task rating. Enter separate baseline strand descriptors only where observed. Do not invent a complete baseline.
Repeat the station structure with new familiar prompts.
Keep partner and task familiar; reduce choices and preserve the quiet return route.
Invite an unfamiliar listener or one spontaneous follow-up, with pupil agreement.
Offer a communication choice at the start of a normal classroom discussion.
Notice one invitation that preserved agency. Rehearse the same invitation with a colleague and decide who prepares the next AAC vocabulary.
Lead the game: At the warm-up, offer a fictional greeting and one movement. Pupils can mirror, select a movement for an adult, or observe. Use a seated/object route.
Use a puppet here: Use a puppet as the welcome host. It can offer a place, model a pause/pass signal or carry the pupil’s selected greeting.
Arrange the group: Guided group of 4–6; offer a turn without a compulsory circle. A partner can rehearse beside the pupil first.
Puppets & props: Pip picture or familiar puppet; fictional objects; a simple visual agenda; a quiet observe place.
AAC options: Everyday choices and Voice Lab boards; pupil’s usual yes/no, help, pause and participation vocabulary.
Prepare: Preview the meaning of each cue; offer two familiar choices and a partner route. Agree a starting task and accessible feedback.
Open this section’s communication board → · Resource guidancePip arrives at an imaginary café. Offer a place, a greeting or time to watch.
Focus: Joining, greeting and choosing a route
Optional 10-minute practice: welcome and choose (2), rehearse (5), notice and step out (3). Eating is optional; food-free, AAC, partner and listening routes are equal.
Transfer: Choose how to join a familiar snack or lunch moment.
Open week 1 Around the Table → · Impact deskWEEK 2 · 55 MINUTES
Meaning lives in movement, pace and pause
Outcome: Deliberately change one expressive feature and select or explain its effect on a listener.
Observe: Confidence and participation; presentation and performance
Clear personal-space spots and a seated/object route. Prepare ‘That's brilliant’, intention cards and audience choices. Open Drama Lab. Avoid prompts that imply feelings can be known from appearance alone.
Choose energy and participation route. Revisit the kind-audience agreement: no copying a pupil outside the activity, no forced eye contact, and pass-and-return is available.
In the system / room: Communication board and route choices; an adult checks usual AAC is ready.
Model moving as an expert, unnoticed, excited or confused; then move a puppet/object or use seated hands. Invite one chosen quality. Freeze and notice what the movement suggests without claiming to know the performer's feelings.
In the system / room: Room-based drama is central; use the Drama Lab picture as a discussion prompt if useful.
Say or show the same neutral line twice. Change one feature: pace, pause, gesture, face, position or volume. Pupils select what changed. With AAC, vary timing, prepared wording or gesture alongside the device; do not demand a different voice.
In the system / room: Drama Lab: expression and audience prompts; device speech is optional.
In pairs, choose an intention and rehearse ‘That's brilliant’. The pupil may act, direct an adult, use a puppet, select a response or use prerecorded audio. Listener describes the message they received; performer can repair or try again.
In the system / room: Picture theatre: select an emotion/intention or clue. Planning tools offer further drama prompts and an optional timer.
Repeat for a friend, younger listener or someone who is unsure. Change only what helps meaning. Invite a reason for the choice through the pupil's communication route.
In the system / room: Audience prompt in Drama Lab; pupils can pass and return.
Name one expressive tool and one thing to try next. Give specific feedback: ‘You paused before the important word’. Avoid judging polish, volume or theatrical talent.
In the system / room: My Journey: record a concrete expression choice and the support available.
Mirror an adult; choose one intention; direct a puppet or use a prepared recording. Work beside a trusted adult.
Choose an intention and alter two features while keeping the message clear.
Try a new audience card and justify three choices, including device timing or physical choices if useful.
Lead physicality, vocal variety, modelling and ensemble safety. Demonstrate a confidence ladder with manageable, reversible steps.
Make it clear, not big. Show the meaning in one part of your body or voice. You can perform beside me or through an object.
Record one deliberate expressive change, the listener's interpretation, any repair and willingness to repeat. Record route and scaffold; do not rank acting ability.
Use the same line with new intentions.
Work on one expressive feature with a familiar partner.
Add audience shifts, status changes or a brief improvised exchange.
Try two ways to deliver a neutral curriculum instruction and ask what made the meaning clear.
Name one modelling move and one way you reduced exposure. Practise offering the object/seated route without presenting it as a lesser option.
Lead the game: In pairs, try the neutral line “That’s brilliant” with two intentions. Change gesture, timing, pace or position; the listener describes the meaning received.
Use a puppet here: During rehearsal, the pupil can direct a puppet or ask an adult to perform their selected intention. Compare interpretations without judging acting ability.
Arrange the group: Model to a small group, then practise in pairs or trios: performer/director, listener and optional observer.
Puppets & props: Hand/sock puppet or object character; scarf; intention cards; floor spots or a seated stage area.
AAC options: Drama Lab board; familiar feeling/intention symbols; a prepared neutral line on usual AAC or permitted adult recording.
Prepare: Offer directing, object movement and seated routes. Keep expressive choices small and purposeful.
Open this section’s communication board → · Resource guidanceTwo characters prefer different picnic places. Show a preference and make room for both.
Focus: Commenting, agreeing and disagreeing
Optional 10-minute practice: welcome and choose (2), rehearse (5), notice and step out (3). Eating is optional; food-free, AAC, partner and listening routes are equal.
Transfer: Model an opinion and wait for a response; a different preference is welcome.
Open week 2 Around the Table → · Impact deskWEEK 3 · 55 MINUTES
Both people build the message
Outcome: Give or receive information, use a checking question and repair a misunderstanding with a partner.
Observe: Listening and responding; expressing ideas; communication choices
Matched physical blocks or the Studio hidden-model board, a screen between partners, repair phrase cards and AAC vocabulary for position, shape and clarification. Plan how to keep the target hidden and swap sender/receiver roles. Pip’s delivery now offers 5×5, 7×7 and 9×9 mazes with walls, a text map and next-step clue. Choose any challenge; it is not a pupil level.
Choose a route and rehearse a repair signal when pace is too fast. Model ‘Say that again’ and ‘I need time’. Let pupils choose device, symbol or partner routes.
In the system / room: Communication board plus Radio Check repair phrases.
One person gives a two-part action, movement or object sequence; the partner copies. Repeat without a visual model. Ask what information was missing; keep sequence length manageable.
In the system / room: Room-based paired drama. A pupil can direct an adult's action.
Adult gives a vague direction and another adult makes a plausible error. Model listen → ask/check → act. Make the misunderstanding a shared problem rather than a listener's failure.
In the system / room: Pip’s maze mission can model one direction and a checking question. Choose a challenge; a partner can operate the controls. Position, walls and open moves are available in text.
Sender views a hidden 3×3 target or physical model; receiver cannot see it. Sender describes one part. Hide the target before the receiver rebuilds. Pause to ask a checking question, then continue. Swap roles halfway through. An adult can operate the shared screen.
In the system / room: Open facilitator tools for hidden target and rebuild board. Use Show/Hide model, shape controls and cells. This is a shared-device task, not a two-device network link.
Reveal both models and compare. Use feedback to find a position worth discussing. Identify a helpful detail or question, then repair together. Do not turn this into a speed contest.
In the system / room: Check models identifies differing positions; feedback is a discussion prompt, not an attainment score.
Pupils choose whether sending, receiving or checking felt easier. Name one repair phrase to use elsewhere. End with a familiar calm sign-off.
In the system / room: My Journey: record one real checking or repair moment, route and support.
Use two shapes or objects, one position at a time, a familiar adult and prepared position vocabulary. Adult may voice the pupil's chosen instruction. For Pip’s delivery, use the short maze, one direction, the text map or next-step clue.
Describe a small model, ask for clarification and swap roles.
Use a more complex model, unfamiliar partner or an ambiguous instruction that must be clarified. Keep AAC and thinking time. In the larger maze, plan two directions or recover from a dead end; keep the same access supports.
Coach reciprocal listening, purposeful waiting and responsibility for repair on both sides. Model errors without blame.
Have I got this right? Which detail would help your partner? A useful question can change the message.
Record a specific checking question, changed instruction or successful repair. Note opportunity, partner, communication route and support rather than only a matching model.
Repeat with a new target and swap roles.
Reduce model complexity and keep partner and vocabulary familiar.
Add a route map, more detail or a less familiar partner with agreement.
Use ‘Have I got this right?’ before acting during paired curriculum work.
Discuss whether you waited for a question or supplied the answer. Practise modelling an unclear instruction and a neutral repair.
Lead the game: At the warm-up, give a manageable action or object sequence. The partner copies, then checks missing detail. In Pip’s maze, separate the director and device operator.
Use a puppet here: A puppet can model an unclear instruction and a respectful repair before pairs try. Pupils may direct the puppet’s moves on a physical map.
Arrange the group: Pairs or trios within a supported group: sender/director, receiver/operator and optional checker. Swap roles by agreement.
Puppets & props: Two matched sets of blocks/shapes; cardboard divider; simple position cards; a 3×3 physical grid if helpful.
AAC options: Radio Check board; position, shape, again, which one and checking vocabulary on usual AAC.
Prepare: Check physical or digital input access, keep the sender’s target hidden and plan the role swap.
Open this section’s communication board → · Resource guidancePartners plan a pretend picnic. One instruction is unclear: ask, check and repair together.
Focus: Checking understanding and repairing messages
Optional 10-minute practice: welcome and choose (2), rehearse (5), notice and step out (3). Eating is optional; food-free, AAC, partner and listening routes are equal.
Transfer: Use a checking phrase during an ordinary shared table task.
Open week 3 Around the Table → · Impact deskWEEK 4 · 55 MINUTES
A character can carry the message
Outcome: Communicate a viewpoint through a character and choose the message, route and audience.
Observe: Confidence and participation; communication choices; presentation and performance
Character portraits or physical puppets, neutral dilemma about a quiet corner, AAC starters and headphones if wanted. Explain the fiction boundary. Test optional audio with an anonymous adult clip and agree recording permissions first.
Choose live, recorded, partnered, AAC, character-led or listening participation. Agree who may hear a rehearsal. Public sharing is not the default.
In the system / room: Character Bridge sharing choices in the rehearsal tools; communication board available.
Adult chooses a fictional character and offers one movement, sound, symbol or phrase. Pupils choose a character or direct an adult. Practise a clear ‘back to myself’ action.
In the system / room: Character choices and portraits, or a real puppet; choice need not reveal anything personal.
Model how a character changes stance, rhythm or language. Make clear that the character may hold a view the pupil does not. Rehearse stepping out before trying the dilemma.
In the system / room: Use Step out of role to stop sound and clear in-role text. The adult still explains the fiction boundary.
Introduce ‘Should every classroom have a quiet corner?’ Choose yes, not sure or another idea and add a reason. Respond in role to a partner. The pupil can compose text, use AAC audio, ask a partner to voice it, or perform live.
In the system / room: Character Bridge: viewpoint starters, editable response and optional local speech; record/load audio only when permitted. The mouth overlay is a rehearsal effect, not video export.
Offer choose → rehearse → record privately → one listener → optional group. Stop at a stretching but manageable point chosen with the pupil. Adding a live voice is optional.
In the system / room: Play/pause character audio; save the original audio before leaving if agreed. No upload or automatic sharing occurs.
Use the agreed exit action. Ask what the character made easier or harder and whether the audience choice felt right. Listen to a nonverbal or partner response without turning it into a score.
In the system / room: Step out of role, then My Journey: record agency, route and support.
Choose character and response cards; adult voices the pupil-selected message. Keep a trusted partner and private rehearsal.
Create a short in-role introduction and opinion; choose whether to record or share.
Sustain a two-way interview or answer one unplanned fictional question with permission and an exit route.
Teach role protection, status, hot seating and entry/exit from fiction. Coach calibrated challenge without exposing pupils or requiring disclosure.
The character can carry the message for now. Step out whenever you choose. What might this character notice or believe?
Record whether the pupil chose character, message and audience; describe the highest comfortable sharing step without treating a higher rung as automatically better.
Keep the character and explore a new safe topic.
Use prepared character speech and one familiar listener.
Try contrasting characters or a brief hot seat, retaining prepared questions and the right to step out.
Answer a curriculum question as an expert, reporter or fictional witness.
Discuss what role protection changed. Rehearse an invitation to step out and a response that accepts refusal without public persuasion.
Lead the game: At the warm-up, choose a fictional character and one movement, symbol or phrase. Rehearse stepping into role and a clear “back to myself” cue.
Use a puppet here: Use puppets in the main viewpoint task so fiction can carry an opinion. The pupil chooses the message and audience; the puppet’s view need not be their own.
Arrange the group: Small group modelling, then pairs/trios with a trusted listener. Keep public sharing optional and step out whenever wanted.
Puppets & props: Two contrasting puppets or character pictures; neutral dilemma card; a visible step-out-of-role cue.
AAC options: Character Bridge board; viewpoint/reason starters; chosen audience cues; optional approved pre-recorded fictional message.
Prepare: Explain fiction boundaries, agree who hears and rehearse stepping out without public sharing.
Open this section’s communication board → · Resource guidanceA puppet has been left out of the café conversation. Try an invitation, then step out of role.
Focus: Perspective and belonging
Optional 10-minute practice: welcome and choose (2), rehearse (5), notice and step out (3). Eating is optional; food-free, AAC, partner and listening routes are equal.
Transfer: Notice who has an accessible invitation and who needs more time.
Open week 4 Around the Table → · Impact deskWEEK 5 · 55 MINUTES
Start, build, finish
Outcome: Plan and communicate a short contribution with a recognisable opening, development and ending.
Observe: Expressing ideas; presentation and performance; communication choices
Three-picture sequences, objects or keywords; familiar topic choices; usual AAC and relevant vocabulary. Open Voice Lab for the message planner and Create for the optional picture storyboard. A 60-second target is a flexible frame, not a timed test. Prepare a predictable story stimulus: a familiar object, picture, sound or puppet. Preview it; surprise is optional.
Choose ready / need ideas / choose for me and a route. Check the audience and whether preparation should be private.
In the system / room: Voice Lab methods/supports and communication board.
Teacher offers a previewed object, picture, sound or puppet and opens a fictional story. Model “Yes… and…” to accept an imaginary detail and add one idea. Pupils build through speech, AAC, gesture, a sound, an object choice or directing a partner; allow thinking time, pass and alternative ideas. Shape the shared story into Start, Build and Finish. Accepting fiction never means agreeing to an unsafe action or unwanted participation.
In the system / room: Voice Lab: gather chosen details in Start / Build / Finish. Create’s three-picture storyboard is an optional visual scaffold.
Model a muddled explanation, then rebuild it with three anchors: Start — my idea; Build — detail or reason; Finish — what to remember. Ask the listener what became clearer.
In the system / room: Voice Lab planning tools: Start / Build / Finish. Use one word, symbol or phrase per anchor if appropriate.
Choose a familiar, safe interest or fictional idea. Plan three anchors, rehearse privately or with a partner, listen once and improve one thing that affects meaning. Pupils may communicate through AAC, symbol sequence, partner, text or live/recorded voice.
In the system / room: Voice Lab keeps draft text and offers local speech or voice-plan download. Recording, if wanted, uses the school's approved recorder or Character Bridge under agreed permissions.
Listener asks one prepared question. Presenter can answer now, prepare, pass or ask a partner to help. Model a thinking pause.
In the system / room: Communication board: I need time / Say that again / Help me.
Pupil chooses the strongest anchor and one useful change. Praise a specific sequencing or audience decision, not fluency or speed.
In the system / room: My Journey: record structure, route and support; download a plan only if useful.
Sequence three images; adult scribes selected ideas. Use one idea per anchor and share privately or through a partner.
Plan three anchors and communicate to a pair or small group with chosen support.
Use only three keywords/objects, adapt for a novice listener or answer one agreed unexpected question.
Guide imagination by accepting a fictional detail and adding one useful possibility. Model, wait, then follow the pupil’s idea. Keep contributions optional and preserve authorship.
What does your listener need first? Choose three anchors; you do not need a full script. A clear ending helps the audience.
Keep the planner if useful; record independence in sequencing, the scaffold used and how the pupil responded to a question. Notice whether adult help replaced the pupil's contribution.
Use the same structure for another familiar topic.
Reduce to one idea per section and rehearse privately.
Change audience, shorten preparation by agreement or add a counter-view.
Use three anchors before a science or history explanation.
Practise feedback that names message clarity. Discuss when a scribed word supports access and when it substitutes an adult's idea.
Lead the game: Teacher offers a previewed object, picture, sound or puppet and opens a fictional story. Model “Yes… and…” to accept an imaginary detail and add one idea. Pupils build through speech, AAC, gesture, a sound, an object choice or directing a partner; allow thinking time, pass and alternative ideas. Shape the shared story into Start, Build and Finish. Accepting fiction never means agreeing to an unsafe action or unwanted participation.
Use a puppet here: A puppet introduces the stimulus or carries a pupil-selected story addition. Confirm the idea with the pupil; the adult supports access without inventing the pupil’s contribution.
Arrange the group: Pairs/trios with shared objects and one listener; a guided group can model the story first.
Puppets & props: Three story cards or object photographs; Start / Build / Finish mat; a mystery basket with safe familiar props.
AAC options: Voice Lab and Create boards; familiar describing, sequencing and because vocabulary; partner scribing if chosen.
Prepare: Choose a shared fictional prompt; let pupils replace pictures with familiar symbols or objects.
Open this section’s communication board → · Resource guidanceAn imaginary visitor arrives with a mysterious basket. Build a story together: start, build, finish.
Focus: Collaborative storytelling
Optional 10-minute practice: welcome and choose (2), rehearse (5), notice and step out (3). Eating is optional; food-free, AAC, partner and listening routes are equal.
Transfer: Share an optional fictional story starter; follow the pupil’s topic.
Open week 5 Around the Table → · Impact deskWEEK 6 · 55 MINUTES
Pause, choose a direction, continue
Outcome: Respond to a manageable unplanned prompt and use a recovery strategy through a chosen communication route.
Observe: Confidence and participation; listening and responding; presentation and performance
Funny picture, spoon/box/scarf/ball or digital props, recovery phrases and optional timer. Preview prompts for pupils who need predictability. Choose a manageable audience; unplanned prompts and timed challenges are optional.
Choose challenge level, audience and one recovery phrase to keep visible. Agree a pass or pause signal.
In the system / room: On Air supports; communication board remains available in expanded activities.
Build a fictional ensemble story one offer at a time. Model adding to a partner's idea. Invite a gesture, prepared phrase, AAC contribution or pass.
In the system / room: Room-based improvisation; adult scribes or voices a selected contribution if wanted.
Model pause → interpret → invent → communicate → continue. Make a deliberate mistake and restart calmly. Allow processing time; do not equate fast thinking with quality.
In the system / room: Help me recover offers a phrase; use Pause / listen first or Stop sound when needed.
Reveal a picture, then invite one observation, possibility or character line. Ask what in the picture supported the idea. Rehearsing a previewed prompt is an equal route.
In the system / room: On Air: Picture challenge, next question, new picture and recovery controls.
Choose a real or digital prop. Imagine it has a new purpose for a chosen audience. Offer a short claim and one reason; a partner can perform the pupil's selected idea.
In the system / room: On Air: Digital + real props; select spoon, box, scarf, ball or own object. No shopping or real sales take place.
Choose one route: surprise slide deck in facilitator tools, a short partner pitch, or agree/disagree with a reason. Preview or rehearse if needed. Listener asks one useful question before offering a counter-view.
In the system / room: On Air: surprise presentation or Agree/disagree + debate. Use reason/example/question before inviting a counter-view; native fullscreen is optional.
Name where the plan changed and what helped recovery. Accept requesting more time or passing as an access choice; ask whether the pupil wants to return.
In the system / room: My Journey: record a concrete recovery or listening moment and the support available.
Preview prompts, choose response cards, work with a partner or record privately. Keep processing time unhurried.
Choose a level and respond after around 20–30 seconds of preparation, adapting the interval to the pupil.
Try an unknown prompt, a live question or a chairing role with pupil agreement. Keep recovery phrases and exit choices.
Lead improvisation, productive failure and presence under pressure. Coach when to wait, prompt or reduce demand.
A pause looks thoughtful. Use the prompt; you do not need the perfect answer. Build on what your partner offered.
Record a recovery strategy, request for repetition or time, listening response and re-entry after a pause. Distinguish pace from communication quality.
Repeat the chosen level with a new prompt.
Preview prompts and practise recovery with a familiar partner.
Add a host role, live question panel or constrained format only when manageable.
Keep one recovery phrase visible during ordinary classroom presentations.
Practise making a mistake and restarting. Identify a moment where you could wait longer rather than rescue the pupil's contribution.
Lead the game: Choose a familiar safe prop and imagine another purpose. Model “This could be…” and a reason. Preview the prop where predictability helps.
Use a puppet here: Let a puppet introduce the prop, offer a deliberately playful idea or model “I need thinking time”. Pupils may direct the puppet instead of performing live.
Arrange the group: Small group with one prop at a time, then paired rehearsal. Offer two prepared ideas or a pass; no speed or surprise requirement.
Puppets & props: Spoon, cardboard tube, hat or other familiar safe props; optional pretend microphone; question and recovery cards.
AAC options: On Air board; agree/disagree, reason, thinking-time and change-prompt vocabulary.
Prepare: Preview props where needed. Give an equal real-prop or picture route; no forced surprise or live performance.
Open this section’s communication board → · Resource guidanceInterview a fictional café guest. Respond to their idea before choosing a follow-up.
Focus: Reciprocal questions and responses
Optional 10-minute practice: welcome and choose (2), rehearse (5), notice and step out (3). Eating is optional; food-free, AAC, partner and listening routes are equal.
Transfer: Try a pupil-selected follow-up in a familiar conversation.
Open week 6 Around the Table → · Impact deskWEEK 7 · 55 MINUTES
Every role communicates
Outcome: Complete a role-specific communication goal and contribute to a short collaborative draft.
Observe: All five communication strands, observed separately
Offer Podcast, Newsroom, Radio drama, Character show, Presentation show or Mini documentary. Prepare role choices, AAC scripts and a three-beat structure. Agree audience, permissions, approved tools, storage and deletion before recording.
Choose energy, role preference and one support. Remind the group that speaking on camera or into a microphone is optional.
In the system / room: Communication board; Create role choices in planning tools.
Choose one route, one audience and one purpose. Keep the scope small enough to finish a rough draft. Model a brief idea, then wait for pupil choices.
In the system / room: Create: six worked examples can seed a plan; teachers explain that examples are fictional briefs, not saved pupil projects.
Allocate meaningful roles such as question writer, AAC contributor, actor, director, sound operator or accessibility lead. Each pupil chooses a communication goal: ask, check, cue, explain, listen or contribute a prepared message.
In the system / room: Create production planner: choose format, roles and role goal. Use shared planning without names in this demo.
Plan Start / Build / Finish, rehearse, then make a short rough performance or recording. Listen/view once and choose one change that improves meaning or access. A live room-based performance is a complete route.
In the system / room: Create is a working storyboard and production planner, not an audio/video editor. Use the school's approved editor or recorder for final media; no external account is required by the Studio.
Ask ‘What is clear?’ and ‘What is the next useful change?’ Check whose contribution is missing. Include technical and offstage roles in the conversation.
In the system / room: Production checklist and downloadable plan; add captions/transcript or visual sequence in the chosen approved tool.
Each pupil identifies their own contribution and the communication choice that helped. Save only a useful artefact with permission.
In the system / room: My Journey: one concise observed moment per pupil in the school's approved records; anonymous demo snapshot if appropriate.
Prepared contribution, paired role, symbol/AAC script, private recording or a technical role with a communication goal.
Complete a defined role and contribute to a planning or review decision.
Lead transitions, interview, edit for an audience or solve a production problem while retaining access supports.
Direct groups without taking over; allocate equitable roles and coach authentic ensemble delivery rather than imitation.
Every role communicates; name how yours does. Make the message clear before making it polished. Whose voice is missing?
Collect one useful artefact plus one short observation of a pupil's contribution. Notice collaboration, decisions and repair as well as the final output.
Keep roles and goals and continue production.
Narrow the scope and finish one strong section.
Add a specific audience need, host role or peer production responsibility. External sharing requires separate school approval.
Use role-specific communication goals in another collaborative curriculum task.
Discuss how roles were allocated and whether a quieter or AAC contribution changed a group decision. Choose one directing move to hand back to school staff.
Lead the game: Build a short scene with Start, Build and Finish. Assign purposeful roles: idea, cue, sound, character or listener/checker. Rehearse once before any recording.
Use a puppet here: Use a puppet as narrator or character in the production. The pupil can voice, select a recorded/AAC line, direct the action or give a cue.
Arrange the group: A production group of 4–6, using pairs for rehearsal. Give each role a communication purpose; no pupil must perform publicly.
Puppets & props: Storyboard mat; role cards; simple sound-making objects; optional school-approved recording device.
AAC options: Create board; role, cue, ready, change and do-not-share vocabulary.
Prepare: Give every role a communication purpose. Plan the audience and permissions; final editing uses approved tools.
Open this section’s communication board → · Resource guidancePlan a café, picnic or food-free welcome gathering. Negotiate roles and one shared decision.
Focus: Collaboration and agency
Optional 10-minute practice: welcome and choose (2), rehearse (5), notice and step out (3). Eating is optional; food-free, AAC, partner and listening routes are equal.
Transfer: Let pupils choose an authentic hosting or planning role.
Open week 7 Around the Table → · Impact deskWEEK 8 · 55 MINUTES
Recognise progress without compulsory performance
Outcome: Choose evidence, compare with a personal starting point and agree a meaningful next communication goal.
Observe: All five communication strands, observed separately
Original Week 1 task wording and route/support notes, pupil-selected evidence from Weeks 1/3/4/6/7, private/public sharing choices and a calm audience protocol. Keep identifiable evidence in school-approved storage.
Choose visibility for today: private, one listener, partner share, small group or no public share. Identify one support. A pass does not erase progress.
In the system / room: Communication board; adult confirms audience choice before opening recordings or notes.
Repeat one Week 1 task with the same wording and comparable support. Ask what feels different. A changed environment, opportunity or communication system should be noted, not ignored.
In the system / room: Return to Voice Lab or Drama Lab as appropriate; My Journey stores the starting-task description and route.
Pupil selects real moments: ‘I used to… / Now I can… / Next I would like to…’. Use exact words, signs or selections where possible. Teacher compares each strand separately and records uncertainty or not-yet-observed.
In the system / room: My Journey: moments, baseline/current descriptors, strength, barrier, next goal and readable export. No combined score is generated.
Share a pupil-selected piece or contribution with an agreed audience. Options include live drama, audio, transcript, device output, partner presentation, private reflection or no public showing. Audience notices meaning, listening, recovery or ensemble contribution.
In the system / room: Reopen the chosen Studio activity or approved saved media. This app does not publish or broadcast a showcase.
Name a specific change with evidence and the support that helped. Avoid rankings, superlatives or praise that increases unwanted exposure.
In the system / room: Record an actual communication moment, not a fabricated completion badge or score.
Choose a next goal, everyday context, support adult/role and review date. Confirm who will revisit it. End with the familiar sign-off and clear shared-device notes after any agreed export.
In the system / room: My Journey next-step fields, Continue / Consolidate / Extend, snapshot and readable journey download. Clear session does not delete downloaded files.
Private review with a trusted adult, adult presents pupil-selected evidence, or no public share.
Share selected evidence with an agreed audience and use reflection prompts through a chosen route.
Host, introduce others, answer a question or explain access choices with agreement and a clear exit route.
Coach evidence-based confidence feedback and a showcase that celebrates manageable risk, recovery and ensemble contribution.
You choose what is shared and how. What can you do with more choice, less support or a different audience? Your next step should matter beyond today.
Repeat a comparable Week 1 task and pupil rating. Compare five strands separately, retain pupil voice, and agree one goal, context, support role and review date. Not yet observed is not zero.
Carry the next goal into classroom routines and revisit at the agreed date.
Repeat a successful route with stable support and a smaller audience.
Offer a supported host, ambassador or mentor opportunity with pupil agreement and school safeguards.
Revisit the goal in ordinary learning and ask whether the support increased agency.
Review pupil evidence and teacher facilitation changes separately. Identify what staff can now lead, which access barriers remain and what an arts/technology partner could help develop next.
Lead the game: Repeat a familiar starting task or brief scene with comparable access and support. Invite the pupil to choose a moment, say what helped or pass.
Use a puppet here: The pupil may choose a puppet to carry their selected reflection or next goal. Confirm the message; do not use the puppet to pressure disclosure.
Arrange the group: A familiar small group or trusted partner. Agree an audience and keep feedback private when preferred.
Puppets & props: A selected anonymous example or object from earlier work; starting-task resources; simple feedback choices; next-step card.
AAC options: My Journey and Everyday choices boards; a pupil-selected reflection route; usual AAC vocabulary for the next goal.
Prepare: Repeat a comparable task, give a pass option and choose one target together. Use the impact desk’s quick review.
Open this section’s communication board → · Resource guidanceHost a small pretend celebration. Repeat the welcome task and notice what helps everyone join.
Focus: Transfer and reflection
Optional 10-minute practice: welcome and choose (2), rehearse (5), notice and step out (3). Eating is optional; food-free, AAC, partner and listening routes are equal.
Transfer: Agree one routine to continue and review it in 4–6 weeks.
Open week 8 Around the Table → · Impact deskKeep five strands separate: confidence and participation; expressing ideas; listening and responding; presentation and performance; communication choices. Record Not yet observed, With substantial support, With a prompt or familiar scaffold, or Independently / transfers. Not yet observed is not zero. These are descriptive observations, not a validated scale. Compare context, opportunity, regulation, route and support; never total the strands or rank pupils.
Minimum evidence: Week 1 starting task, route, strength, barrier and pupil rating; Weeks 2–7 one useful moment per pupil; Week 8 comparable starting task, selected evidence, pupil reflection and a next goal, context, support role and review date.
Use school-approved records for identifiable evidence. A Studio snapshot contains plans and observations, not audio or live picture-game state. One tab is not a multi-pupil record system.
Use the staff workshop, weekly practice and huddles, then observe facilitation independently. Review pupil experience alongside adult practice.
Staff training · Impact desk · Around the Table purpose and review
Interactive prompts, planning, storyboarding, observations, exports and local snapshot import work in this demonstration. Recording, local voices, playback effects and native fullscreen depend on the school device and browser. Create is a planner, not a media editor; there is no live broadcast, multi-user school database or video export.
Before pupil use, test keyboard/switch access, screen reader, zoom, touch, AAC formats, microphone permission grant/denial and local voice availability with adults. Confirm that each pupil can pause, pass, select support and return. Automated checks do not certify accessibility or suitability.