Barnet Southgate College

Cosmo has been used at the college for over a year, with some staff using it for up to two years.

Initially, it was used once or twice a week while staff learned how to adapt it. Over time, it has become more embedded in lessons, particularly for:

• Communication
• Interactive play
• Activity-based learning

Teachers also use Cosmo as a break from academic tasks, creating space for more engagement and interaction.

The aim was to help learners express themselves, improve communication, actively participate in lessons and give learners cause and effect experiences, encouraging them to take part actively rather than just pointing — especially those who struggle with traditional methods.

Daniela combined Cosmo with Colourful Semantics to help students build simple sentences using colour-coded meaning.

“Each colour means something—who is doing what… combining Cosmo with Colourful Semantics was absolutely the best and brilliant thing to put together.”

Cosmo was also used for:

• Counting and numeracy activities
• Cause-and-effect learning
• Music and movement sessions

In music, Cosmo enabled participation for learners with limited mobility:

“Some of them are not able to clap… but just to lift their hand and press the Cosmo—that’s the best option and they take part in the lesson.”

Teachers adapted activities to suit individual needs, keeping tasks simple and repeatable.

Learners showed strong engagement and independence. Students were drawn to the lights and sounds

Students who previously struggled to interact became more responsive:

“She first started to do it… then without us prompting, she was doing it all by herself.”

Cosmo also helped visually impaired learners participate through sound and guided interaction.

“She interacts with it straight away… she’s excited now when she sees Cosmo.”

Cosmo supported progress across key developmental areas:

“Cosmo helps in all four areas—communication, cognition, independence, and sensory needs.”

Cosmo also helped:

• Show clear progression over time
• Provide evidence of learning for staff and parents
• Improve understanding of each learner’s abilities

“It’s working… you can adapt and adjust Cosmo to literally any subject.”

Cosmo helped reduce workload:

• Acts as a flexible resource that works across different learners
• Reduces the need to prepare multiple separate materials
• Can be adapted quickly within lesson plans

“You don’t have to stress… you have one resource… effective for all students despite different conditions.”

Managing group participation in early sessions. Initial setup and understanding took time:

“At first it was a bit difficult… there wasn’t a straightforward step-by-step… but once we figured it out, it was okay.”