We were thrilled to get back to international travel this year with trips to see clients in Denmark, the Netherlands, Croatia and Lithuania. We trained over 400 international delegates face to face this year. It feels good to be back booking flights and organising visas!

In 2022, over 730 people signed up for the PECS 1-hour free overview and 125 for the SoSAFE! 1-hour free overview. The PECS Overview begins with a brief overview of the Pyramid Approach to Education, a model commonly used to create effective educational environments. Then, each of the six phases of PECS are described and/or demonstrated with accompanying videos illustrating PECS in action. Concluding with a review and analysis of common myths associated with PECS. The SoSAFE! overview provides basic information about the SoSAFE! framework and tool kit. It begins with a brief overview of the SoSAFE! programme features followed by a demonstration of how the three SoSAFE! tools are used to teach and visually support learners about social safety. If you are keen to find out about PECS or SoSAFE! then do come along to one of the overviews we are running next year, all overviews take place at 4pm for 1 hour across various dates and are delivered via Zoom.

If you follow us on social media (facebook or Instagram) you will have seen the adventures of Dex, the PECS bear. Dex travels around with our consultants, he has been in Yorkshire, London, Wales and Birmingham to name but a few places he has visited. He helped out on our stand at the Tes SEN Show in October and participated in Odd Socks Day in November. He has a few special outfits lined up for the forthcoming Christmas festivities, so keep an eye out!

Earlier in the year, we were contacted by a family who are hosting a mum and her son who were displaced by the war in Ukraine. Vlad is 10 years old, he has autism and is nonverbal. Since arriving in the UK he has been introduced to PECS- which he took to it instantly! We feel very proud to have been able to support them with PECS Level 1 training and various products to give Vlad a voice. Vlad and his mum, Tania were incredibly lucky to be hosted by a retired teacher who had some knowledge of SEND and was able to help them access the correct services. To follows Vlad’s story, keep an eye on our Instagram feed.

July and August saw us run the first PECS Summer School in many years. Pyramid Consultant Grace, was the mastermind behind a very successful two weeks which took place in Lincoln. The six learners made some amazing progress with their communication skills. They were engaged in a variety of activities such as gardening, art, craft, storytelling and more. They also took several trips out into the community; visiting a nature trail, ten pin bowling, a trampoline park and a café. We put out a call for volunteers and we were delighted that 12 signed up, all of whom generously dedicated two weeks to helping. In return they got free PECS L1 training plus the chance to practice their new skills under the watchful eye of a Pyramid consultant. It was great to have Mareike from Pyramid Germany come over to help out too! If you are interested in volunteering in 2023 take a look at the Summer School page for more information.

October saw us exhibiting at the Tes SEN Show again. With visitors from all over the UK and some from further afield such as Greece and Iceland, it was great to catch up with some old faces and make some new connections. The show is a packed 2 day event with CPD certified seminars, a Leadership Summit and a free to attend Parent, Carer and Teacher Forum. All exhibitors were treated to a private performance on Friday evening by the super talented Henry Bradshaw, an autistic singer. He says that that performing for anyone is hard, but with Autism it’s more of a challenge. He finds that singing gives him freedom to be able to express his feelings and emotions. His performance got a standing ovation and a few tears were shed in the audience!

The products department added a couple of new sensory toys to our range this year. The PECS 151 image set has been updated to include 13 new images, 12 redrawn images, and 2 relabeled images. The most exciting development is that it now comes printed on polypropylene plastic that can be cut with scissors, eliminating the need for laminating! We can hear sighs of relief the UK over! Available in 4cm x 4cm for standard size PECS Communication Books and in 2.5cm x

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2.5cm for small PECS Communication Books, it is supplied with loop fastener. We also launched bilingual Pics for PECS grid templates. They can be used by learners whose language spoken at home differs from the language used in their instructional setting, or where two languages are spoken at home. Adding a second language to the bottom of the picture can help with both expressive and receptive language skills, and improve understanding for learners, educators and family members. If you need a new PECS Communication Book to house your learners’ vocabulary then you can currently choose from two new colours – purple and orange. Stocks of these colours are very limited, so order today to avoid disappointment!

In 2023 we will be running another PECS Summer School, we have more international travel plans and are visiting even more UK cities such as Norwich, Canterbury and Belfast, to present the PECS L1 workshop face to face.

The Pyramid UK team all wish you a happy, peaceful and relaxing festive period.

Louise (H), Louise (M), Andy, Grace, Donna, Gemma, Michelle, Mia, Lisa & Jo.

© Pyramid Educational Consultants 2022