Schools, nurseries & early years
Whole-team training that goes beyond signs — embedding Makaton into daily classroom practice, from a tutor who has worked as a SENDCo and specialist teacher herself.
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Bury St Edmunds · Suffolk · Online across the UK
Makaton training from a specialist SEND teacher
Official Makaton workshops and hands-on SEND support — delivered by a licensed Makaton Tutor who has spent her career teaching children with speech, language and communication needs.
Licensed Makaton Tutor
Qualified teacher — SEND specialism
Face-to-face & online
Delivering the official Makaton workshop programme
Workshops for families, schools & organisations
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Who I work with
Whatever setting you're in, there's a path for you
Whether you're building your team's skills or opening up communication at home, there's a route for you — every workshop is available face-to-face around Bury St Edmunds or online.
Parents, carers & families
Learn Makaton to open up communication at home. Small, friendly workshops with plenty of practice — and the understanding of someone who's supported hundreds of families.
Book a public workshop →
Official Makaton workshops
From first signs to the full Core Vocabulary
I deliver The Makaton Charity's official workshop programme. Each level includes a participant manual and a certificate on completion.
Makaton Taster
A friendly introduction to Makaton — what it is, who it helps, and your first practical signs and symbols. Perfect if you're deciding whether Makaton is right for you, your family or your team.
Book on BookwhenYour foundation in Makaton
The official starting point: the key principles of the Makaton Language Programme, plus the first stages of the Core Vocabulary for everyday communication.
Book on BookwhenBuilding everyday communication
Follows on from Level 1. Together, Levels 1 and 2 give you an excellent grounding, with signs and symbols for essential day-to-day communication.
Book on BookwhenSigning in real conversations
Moves your skills to a more advanced level of application — practising signing in conversation and refining your accuracy so your signing conveys meaning clearly.
Book on BookwhenCompleting the Core Vocabulary
The final stage of the core programme — completing the Core Vocabulary and learning to adjust your Makaton so it's pitched at the right level for whoever you're communicating with.
Book on Bookwhen
About Suzanne
A career spent inside children's communication
Most Makaton tutors found Makaton through their own family. My route was professional — a teaching career that moved step by step deeper into speech, language and special educational needs. When I train your team, I've stood where you stand.
Primary school teacher
Qualified teacher with experience across every primary year group — so training is grounded in real classroom life.
Learning support & SENDCo
Moved into learning support, then led whole-school SEND provision as a SEND Co-ordinator.
Specialist SLCN teacher
Specialist teacher for speech, language and communication needs for the local authority — supporting schools across the area.
Speech & language unit
Specialist teacher within a dedicated speech and language unit, working intensively with children who need the most support to communicate.
SEND hub — complex needs
Specialist teacher in a SEND hub for children with complex needs up to age eleven, where signs and symbols are part of everyday communication.
Licensed Makaton Tutor
Qualified, certified and actively licensed by The Makaton Charity to deliver the official workshop programme.
Specialist SEND support
More than workshops — support that sticks
Training works best when it lands in a setting that's ready for it. Alongside Makaton workshops, I offer specialist SEND support drawing on my experience as a SENDCo and local authority specialist teacher.
- Support for SENDCos and school leaders on communication-friendly practice
- Advice for families navigating speech, language and communication needs
- Bespoke input shaped around your setting — get in touch to discuss
Kind words
What people say
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What is Makaton?
Signs and symbols that support speech
Makaton is a language programme that uses signs and symbols alongside spoken words, giving children and adults with communication difficulties another way to understand and be understood. You always speak as you sign — Makaton supports speech, it doesn't replace it.
100k+
people in the UK use Makaton signs and symbols to communicate.
Everywhere
you'll find Makaton in nurseries, schools, homes and children's TV — it's what Mr Tumble uses.
Learn more at The Makaton Charity — the home of Makaton and the official workshop programme.
Get in touch
Ready to start your Makaton journey?
Book a public workshop directly, or get in touch to arrange training for your school, setting or organisation — or just to ask a question. I'm always happy to have a no-obligation chat about what would work best.