Shape-coding

Swalcliffe Park School, based in Oxfordshire near Banbury, is a specialist residential and day school for autistic boys aged 10-19. As experts in autism education, we are pleased to offer a year-round programme of training sessions for local schools, alongside termly SENCO Circle groups, designed to build knowledge and practical strategies to support pupils with a range of needs.

This engaging and practical training introduces education professionals to the Shape Coding System®, a visually structured approach to supporting the development of spoken and written language. Designed by Speech and Language Therapist Dr Susan Ebbels, the system uses shapes, colours, and symbols to make grammar more accessible and meaningful for learners, particularly those with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and associated language needs.

The session provides a clear and accessible overview of how Shape Coding works in practice, including how phrases are organised into shapes, parts of speech are colour-coded, and elements such as tense and plurals are represented using lines and arrows. Participants will develop an understanding of how this structured, visual approach supports pupils to build confidence in constructing sentences, understanding grammatical rules, and expressing themselves more effectively.

A key focus of the training is the impact Shape Coding can have on learning. The system has been successfully used to support a wide range of language skills, including understanding parts of speech, forming questions, using tense accurately, developing sentence structure, and applying conjunctions. It is also recognised for supporting visual learners and encouraging more complex language use, helping pupils to move beyond simple sentence structures and expand their communication skills.

Importantly, the training demonstrates how Shape Coding can be embedded across the wider school environment. Participants will explore how the approach can be used not only in English lessons but across subjects such as science, humanities, and vocational learning, as well as within therapy sessions and residential contexts. This includes practical applications to support reading comprehension, planning written work, vocabulary development, and functional life skills such as following instructions or completing forms.

By attending, education professionals will:

• Develop a clear understanding of how Shape Coding supports language and communication
• Gain practical insight into how using shapes, colours, and visual cues can scaffold learning
• Explore how the approach could be applied across curriculum areas, therapy, and daily routines
• Increase confidence in supporting pupils with speech, language, and communication needs
• Take away practical ideas to enhance both spoken and written language outcomes

This training is highly relevant for teachers, teaching assistants, SENCOs, therapists, and pastoral staff working across both specialist and mainstream education settings. The approach is particularly valuable for those supporting pupils with language difficulties, autism, or learning needs that impact communication and literacy.

Please note that attendance on this training does not equate to being qualified to use this approach.

All sessions are free to attend but must be booked in advance. Places are limited to a maximum of two attendees per school per session.