We’re proud to have worked with Red Kite Academy since 2019 and are delighted that they have achieved Gold Signalong Friendly status. The academy opened in 2018 and inspired by its sister school’s successful use of Signalong, quickly adopted the approach to support their pupils. This ensures a consistent signing environment across both schools and encouraged the sharing of good practice between the schools. Red Kite Academy was introduced to Signalong mainly through videos shared from the sister school and workshops. In early 2020, a teacher at Red Kite Academy completed our online Tutor Training course so the school could have a Tutor on-site, and a second Tutor was trained in 2022.
Using Signalong at Red Kite
Red Kite Academy is a special school based in Northamptonshire for pupils aged 4-18 years old. The school caters to a range of needs such as Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities, Severe and Moderate Learning Disabilities, and pupils with a diagnosis of Autism. Red Kite has two Signalong Tutors on-site who use their sign library subscriptions to search for signs and make video demonstrations when requested. The school is now looking to run a compulsory half-day workshop for all staff to understand and recognise signalong within the school. All staff are encouraged to sign the daily schedule and pupil/staff names and 'core' signs such as toilet/help/finished/more/stop. Red Kite Academy adopts a total communication approach, with Signalong playing a key role in supporting communication. Emma added: “signing requires no resources so can be used straight away and with success! Learners enjoy watching signing videos on our website and learning school songs.”
When asked if the school have noticed a difference in engagement or learning outcomes since introducing Signalong, Emma Smith, Communication Lead and Signalong Tutor at Red Kite said: “Where it is used consistently by whole class teams, pupils become more communicative. I find as well that students using signalong can make quicker connections between spoken word/object/sign/visual or other representation and those connections between concrete-abstract occur quicker, more fluently and in greater amount.”
Using Signalong throughout Red Kite Academy has created consistency in communication between staff, pupils, and its sister school. Signs are taught using a real-object, needs-led approach, ensuring that pupils learn vocabulary that is meaningful and relevant to them. This purposeful learning encourages pupils to sign back, engage more actively, and continue developing their communication skills to initiate interactions with both adults and peers, both in the classroom and at home. When asked how Signalong has helped the children at Red Kite, Emma commented: “As learners can generalise, more abstract signs can be taught in context and within the wider curriculum coverage such as in theme lessons and Talk4Writing texts. With our older learners, having a communication system they can use at any time with familiar adults has been especially useful when accessing the community and for self-advocacy such as ordering food and drink, asking for assistance in a shop, purchasing cinema tickets etc and sharing with their family/friends/PA’s/school staff what has happened in the school day/ in the community or what they would like to do in the near future (e.g the weekend) or the far future (e.g. for work experience, education, leisure, relationships).”
When asked if they would recommend Signalong to other schools, Emma commented: “Yes, because once you have the skills training, anyone can read and communicate using Signalong correctly and confidently.”
Red Kite Academy have recorded and shared numerous video demonstrations using Signalong including songs, holiday signs, and signs to help children navigate around the school. Watch their demonstrations here.
Find out more
To find out more about how Signalong could benefit your child or school please email admin@signalong.org.uk.
To find out more about Red Kite Academy, visit redkiteacademy.co.uk