Staff knowledge and understanding
The senior leadership team should ensure that:
- Key staff have attended initial Deaf Awareness Training delivered by a qualified Teacher of the Deaf. Training in Deaf Awareness, Sign Language, Language Development and the use of hearing aids is available from Integrated Disability Service Hearing Team
- There are systems in place to disseminate training to the wider school staff as appropriate
- Staff skills are regularly audited (see Quality First Teaching section) and there is a plan for on-going Continuing Professional Development in relation to the individual needs of young people
- School staff understand how a young person with hearing impairment may have additional needs and require support in other areas
The senior leadership team enables a team approach to support hearing impairment. In particular:
- There are processes in place in school for sharing information with all relevant staff regarding the young person’s hearing impairment , including supply staff
- Staff are given encouragement and have opportunities to discuss concerns, problem solve and provide support to each other
- There are planned opportunities for key staff to share good practice with staff from other schools. Senior staff actively promote and facilitate these networking and mentoring opportunities
- School systems are flexible enough to support the individual needs of all young people on roll at the school including those educated off-site and those with temporary hearing loss arising from illness or injury.