We understand that all of our pupils have individual communication needs and therefore we offer a tailored communication support package to each pupil.

British Sign Language (BSL) is an official language recognised by the government and used by more than 70,000 people in the UK. It has its own grammatical structure and those who use it may consider English to be their second language. Therefore, we implement a sign bilingual communication approach which means equal emphasis is placed upon English and British Sign Language.

Some of our pupils have cochlear implants, wear hearing aids and have additional FM radio aid equipment to help them access spoken information in the classroom. These are checked on a daily basis and pupils are encouraged to bring any problems they are experiencing to us.

The Curriculum

Where appropriate, all pupils follow the National Secondary Curriculum. Pupils are encouraged to take part in all aspects of school life, including participation in mainstream lessons and extracurricular activities.

Qualified Teachers of the Deaf, teach within the Resource Base through an enriched language input to consolidate and reinforce learning.

We deliver several interventions to help our deaf students’ progress. Some of these include:

• Pre/Post Tutoring (For English, Maths, Science and GCSE subjects)
• Target Language Programme
• Homework Booster Intervention
• Accelerated Reading Scheme
• Speech and Language Therapy
• NDCS Interventions (Healthy Minds and Working Memory)