Hearing Impaired Unit
Established in 1995 and co-ordinated by qualified and experienced teachers of the deaf, the Hearing Impaired Unit (HIU) has enabled all hearing impaired students at Henry Beaufort School to reach their full academic potential. This is achieved through integration into mainstream classes and attendance to the unit according to the students’ individual needs.
Hearing impaired students are placed in tutor groups and classes in the same way as all other pupils in the school, and additional time is set aside for lesson preparation and reinforcement before and after school each day. This time enables students to study lesson plans, clarify new concepts, and revise subject specific vocabulary.
Programmes of study are tailored to meet individual students’ needs, so while some students benefit from Sign Supported English, other students may occasionally work one-to-one or in small group settings, allowing for quieter conditions and focussed attention on language skills. Time for conversation is also incorporated into the day and talking and listening skills are developed using objects, newspapers, and other visual media, helping to extend and share general knowledge.
During class, students are supported by a specialist team of Learning Support Assistants (LSA), each employed with background knowledge in specific subjects. The duty of an LSA can take many forms depending on the students’ requirements. They are there to ensure assignments or instructions in class have been clearly understood, to monitor the pupil’s level of understanding, and to plan the content of any post-tutoring sessions.
Equipment and Resources
The Hearing Impaired Unit encourages maximum use of residual hearing through good use of appropriate hearing aids and radio aids, with the pupils assuming responsibility for monitoring these. In the classroom, students have personal FM systems and these can be linked directly to the audio output of the interactive whiteboards and sound systems that are present all around the school. For larger events, sound is fed through the PA system to the individual receivers.
Each student is also designated a laptop and this allows the LSA to electronically monitor the student’s work in real-time and communicate to the student during the lesson. Similarly, the students are responsible for the upkeep of the laptops, ensuring batteries are charged and the wireless connection the school’s network is enabled and functioning.
Alongside a large teaching and resource base fitted with desktop computers, the Hearing Impaired Unit has a soundproofed Audiology room. In here, hearing aids can be tested effectively with the Audioscan Testbox and, using the Audiometer, the hearing of student can be measured and the results plotted as an audiogram. As part of the personal deaf awareness programme, students are helped to understand their personal audiogram and the nature of their own hearing loss.
The Unit maintains strong links with the Health Service and receives detailed reports after students’ visits, ensuring the health of the students’ hearing is maintained and the child continues to receive the same full and diverse education as all pupils at Henry Beaufort School.
If you require more information about the Hearing Impaired Unit at Henry Beaufort School, please contact us.
