Secondary School
If your child is deaf or hard of hearing, they might need extra support from their school. This could mean that your child has special educational needs (SEN). Special educational needs (SEN) are "a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made".
Moving from primary to secondary school can be daunting. Secondary schools are usually much bigger, with more students and more teachers. There are lots of things to get used to: new buildings, new staff, new friends, new lessons and new expectations. In particular, the timetable is much more complex, often requiring students to move around the school. There are lots of things you can do to help your child adjust and have a happy and positive experience when starting secondary school.
“Special educational provision” is the additional or different help given in school to children with SEN.
“Learning difficulty” means that the child has (or is likely to have) significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of their age, and/or has a disability which makes it harder for them to use everyday educational facilities.
There are lots of things you can do to help your child adjust and have a happy and positive experience when starting secondary school.
Not all deaf children will have special educational needs. For example, in England around 40% of deaf children aren’t formally identified as having SEN. Whether or not your child is recognised as having SEN will depend on how much their deafness impacts on their ability to take part in education and other aspects of school life, and what ext
Additional support can be provided by the school itself, or by outside agencies such as an educational psychologist or a speech and language therapist
Examples of additional support your child might receive are:
- equipment, such as a radio aid or soundfield system to help them hear their teachers;
- support from a Teacher of the Deaf (ToD), communication support worker (CSW) or a learning support assistant;
- the school improving the acoustics of the school or classroom, for example by reducing background noise, and fitting carpets and curtains to help prevent sound echoing around a room;
- staff teaching in a deaf-friendly way, for example not talking when turning away from the class to write on the board, making sure your child has understood tasks, and making sure videos have subtitles;
- a separate room for examinations and possibly extra time being allowed.
