Red Oaks Primary School in Swindon have been marking this year’s Deaf Awareness Week with a variety of events and activities to raise awareness of deafness.
Deaf Awareness Week 2023, which runs from May 1st to May 7th aims to raise awareness of the communication needs of deaf and hard-of-hearing people, advocate for greater access to communication tools and services and also to encourage people and services to work together to create a more inclusive society where deaf people have equal access to communication.
At Red Oaks, the week started with a special deaf awareness assembly where students found out more about deaf culture and the importance of access to communication.
The following day, the singing assembly involved the children being filmed singing and signing the Coronation song.
Throughout this week, students were also given the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities, including:
- Signed songs
- British Sign Language lessons
- A competition to design a cochlear implant or hearing aid
Acting Head Teacher James Lee said: “We are committed to creating a school where all students feel welcome and included and that’s why we’re delighted to support this year’s theme for Deaf Awareness Week: ‘Access to Communication’. Deaf Awareness Week is a great opportunity to learn more about deafness and to celebrate the diversity of our school community.”
Red Oaks Primary School is a fully inclusive school that offers a rich British Sign Language (BSL) learning environment for deaf students. The school has a qualified teacher of the deaf, a specialist resource provision manager, and a team of deaf and hearing communication support workers who are all BSL level 3 or above.
The school is also home to a BSL club, which provides students with the opportunity to learn more about BSL and to practice signing with other students and staff.
Staff at the school ensure that deaf children have access to a rich British Sign Language learning environment and many use either Cochlear Implants, Hearing Aids or Radio Aids.
The school also has specialist audiological features including:
- Carpeted classrooms.
- Sound Fields – an amplification system that distributes sound evenly throughout a classroom, as well as going directly into hearing devices when a radio aid is plugged into it.
- Testbox – a device that analyses the output and performance of a hearing device.
Red Oaks Primary School is proud to support Deaf Awareness Week and to raise awareness of the importance of access to communication for everyone.
