Primary Resource Base for Deaf Children
Christopher Pickering Primary School
Primary Resource Base for Deaf Children at Christopher Pickering Primary School
The Primary Resource Base for Deaf Children is a specialist provision for deaf children aged from Foundation Stage 2 to Year 6 who require specialist teaching to achieve their potential. Teachers of the Deaf, highly experienced Teaching Assistants and a Deaf Instructor staff the provision to enable the pupils to communicate, access the curriculum, learn language and develop social skills.
Location of the Primary Resource Base
The Resource Base for Deaf Children is located in the Year 3&4 learning area of Christopher Pickering Primary School. The rooms are acoustically treated in order to optimise listening conditions. Depending on the needs of the individuals, children are taught in the Base, supported in their mainstream class or a mixture of both.
Aims and Objectives
As we have pupils with a range of hearing losses and they learn through different modes, a total communication approach using British Sign Language (BSL), Sign Supported English (SSE) and spoken language is fostered in response to the communication, academic, social and audiological needs of the individual pupil within a vibrant and friendly environment.
The main priority is to teach and develop the language understanding of the pupils as language underpins every aspect of learning and access to the wider world, enabling the pupils to become independent communicators, readers and writers.
Teachers of the Deaf and Specialist Teaching Assistants work closely with small groups of children in a smaller, quieter, purposeful learning area. First hand experiences are sought in relation to the topic wherever possible, to underpin their understanding and learning.
Children in the base follow the same core curriculum as their mainstream peers which is scaffolded and differentiated where appropriate and enhanced with sign graphics and visuals so that they can access it.
With specialist support and flexibility for pre and post tutoring sessions, the children work alongside their mainstream peers for the learning of the wider areas of the curriculum and educational visits. This encourages skills in teamwork, building friendships and the development of independence.
Our Deaf Instructor teaches the pupils BSL, on an individual basis, to progress their communication, receptive and expressive skills and vocabulary understanding. A programme of age and developmentally appropriate life skills is also delivered to support their later independence. The Deaf Instructor provides a positive deaf role model for the pupils by promoting self-advocacy, their deaf identity and aspiration. The Deaf Instructor also works with family members to teach BSL and promote relationships between home and school.
Working in collaboration
The staff in the Resource Base have fostered close working links with our pupils’ families and a range of agencies in order to benefit the education and well-being of the children. Many children have regular sessions in the Base with the Speech and Language Therapist who then provides follow-up work and homework to practise the targeted area. Bradford and Nottingham Cochlear Implant Teams visit and liaise with staff for the benefit of the pupils. Audiologists, Deaf CAMHS and Educational Psychologists also offer support and guidance when necessary. The Base also has a close link with a different primary school in a contrasting location, where visits are made to explore new experiences and opportunities to work together are fostered.
