Doncaster Council

About the service

This service consists of full time and part time qualified teachers of hearing impaired children, specialist Learning Support Assistants(LSAs) and a Technical Support Assistant. The Service deals with the full range of hearing losses from mild to profound and the teachers work with children of all ages across many Doncaster schools, including pre-school children.

The Service provides support from diagnosis, through the Authority's schools until school leaving age. In school the support takes the form of specialist teaching, information giving, guidance and In Service Training (INSET) for teachers and LSAs. Parental support continues at all stages.

Pre-school children are visited at home, where the parents/carers are given advice about the management of hearing aids and ideas to foster language development. 

Pre-school children and their carers are also encouraged to attend the weekly Auditory Rhythmic Training Group. The activities promote children's listening skills and aid the development of natural language. Carers benefit from the mutual support of the group.

There are well-established links between the team and all the other agencies involved with the family, especially the Audiology Department at the Children's Hospital.

Parents' meetings are held and appropriate speakers are invited. The meetings also provide parents with an opportunity to talk to each other and share their experiences.

The team has played a vital role in the development of a primary mainstream resource base for pupils with significant language needs due to a hearing impairment.

The Service for Children with a Hearing Impairment:

Supports hearing impaired children at home and at school

• Liaises with schools, parents, hospital, speech therapists and anyone else involved with the child
• Checks and maintains child’s specialist equipment and offers advice on appropriate use
• Assesses the child’s language development and monitors their progress
• Provides information and advice to the Local Authority(LA) for statements
• Attends annual reviews
• Checks and maintains child’s specialist equipment and offers advice on appropriate use
• Delivers INSET for teaching and non-teaching staff in schools
• Plans programmes of work and differentiated materials to facilitate access to the National Curriculum          

Further information about hearing impairment and ways to support hearing impaired children can be obtained by contacting the Service for Children with a Hearing Impairment, the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS), or the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID)

Useful websites

The National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) http://www.ndcs.org.uk

The Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) http://www.rnid.org.uk