Sam Rowlands MS for North Wales has praised Ysgol Pendlar in Caernarfon, for leading the way in supporting children with communication needs.
The school, along with Ysgol Hafod, Penrhyndeudraeth, in Mid and West Wales, are the first special schools in Wales to secure the coveted ‘Communication Friendly Setting Elklan’ status.
Mr Rowlands said:
I am delighted to see a special school in my region receive this status for creating an innovative way of working which has helped the communication skills of their pupils.
This is a wonderful achievement and follows two years of hard work by staff and they should all be congratulated. I am also pleased to see this has been achieved by working with the local health board.
The ’Communication Friendly Setting Elklan’ status is a programme which is widely used in Gwynedd and helps supports children with speech, language and communication needs.
The last two years have not been easy for our schools with on and off closures because of the pandemic, which makes the awarding of this status even more impressive. Well done to everyone.
Elklan was established in 1999 by two speech and language therapists, Liz Elks and Henrietta McLachlan, to train education staff to become more effective in supporting children with speech, language and communication needs.
The programme is promoted by the local Health board’s Speech and Language Therapy service to support pupils with additional communication needs.
Achieving the ‘Communication Friendly Setting Elklan’ accreditation has been a significant Investment of time for both schools working in partnership with the Speech and Language Therapy service and supported by the local Additional Learning Needs and Inclusion Service.
Liz Elks, Director of Elklan Training added:
Each school has specialist teachers known as Lead Communication Practitioners who are an ongoing resource to train new staff and continue to build each school's capacity to support communication.
Lowri Roberts, who tutored the programme, has high praise for all those who took part and I am especially pleased as these are the first schools to attain the coveted Elklan Communication Friendly Special School status in Wales.
Sam Rowlands AS yn canmol ysgol sy’n un o’r ysgolion cyntaf yng Nghymru i gael ei chydnabod am gefnogi plant ag anghenion cyfathrebu yng Ngwynedd
Mae Sam Rowlands AS ar gyfer Gogledd Cymru wedi canmol Ysgol Pendalar yng Nghaernarfon am arwain y ffordd wrth gefnogi plant ag anghenion cyfathrebu.
Yr ysgol hon, ynghyd ag Ysgol Hafod Lon, Penrhyndeudraeth, yng Nghanolbarth a Gorllewin Cymru, yw’r ysgolion arbennig cyntaf yng Nghymru i ennill statws ‘Lleoliad sy’n Ystyriol o Gyfathrebu Elklan’.
Meddai Mr Rowlands:
Rwyf wrth fy modd yn gweld ysgol arbennig yn fy rhanbarth yn ennill y statws hwn am greu dull arloesol o weithio, sydd wedi cynorthwyo sgiliau cyfathrebu’r disgyblion.
Y llwyddiant rhagorol hwn yw ffrwyth dwy flynedd o waith caled gan y staff, a rhaid llongyfarch pob un ohonynt. Mae’n dda gweld hefyd fod yr ysgol wedi gweithio mewn partneriaeth â’r bwrdd iechyd lleol.
Mae statws ‘Lleoliad sy’n Ystyriol o Gyfathrebu Elklan’ yn rhaglen sy’n cael ei defnyddio’n helaeth yng Ngwynedd i gefnogi plant ag anghenion lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu.
Mae’r ddwy flynedd diwethaf wedi bod yn anodd iawn i’n hysgolion oherwydd y pandemig, sy’n gwneud y llwyddiant hwn hyd yn oed yn fwy trawiadol. Llongyfarchiadau i bawb.
Sefydlwyd Elklan ym 1999 gan ddwy therapydd lleferydd ac iaith, Liz Elks a Henrietta McLachlan, i hyfforddi staff addysg i fod yn fwy effeithiol wrth gefnogi plant ag anghenion lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu.
Hyrwyddir y rhaglen gan wasanaeth Therapi Lleferydd ac Iaith y Bwrdd Iechyd Lleol er mwyn cynorthwyo disgyblion ag anghenion cyfathrebu ychwanegol.
Er mwyn ennill yr achrediad ‘Lleoliad sy’n Ystyriol o Gyfathrebu Elklan’, mae ysgolion wedi treulio cryn amser yn gweithio mewn partneriaeth â’r Gwasanaeth Therapi Lleferydd ac Iaith, ac maent wedi’u cefnogi gan y Gwasanaeth Anghenion Dysgu Ychwanegol a Chynhwysiant lleol.
Meddai Liz Elks, Cyfarwyddwr Elklan Training:
Mae gan bob ysgol athrawon arbenigol a elwir yn Ymarferwyr Cyfathrebu Arweiniol sy’n adnodd parhaus i hyfforddi aelodau staff newydd a pharhau i feithrin gallu pob ysgol i gefnogi cyfathrebu.
Mae tiwtor y rhaglen, Lowri Roberts, wedi canmol pawb a gymerodd ran, ac mae’n dda nodi mai dyma’r ysgolion cyntaf yng Nghymru i ennill statws Ysgol Arbennig sy’n Ystyriol o Gyfathrebu Elklan.
