Linking with Deaf Children across the County (March 2019)

In the Hearing Resource Base at St. Margaret’s children are supported to use English or BSL according to their communication needs.  One of our children uses BSL as his first language and the staff at St. Margaret’s set up situations for him to meet other children like himself.  As part of this programme St. Margaret’s has developed links with other deaf children in Devon and in Plymouth.  For the first time recently he visited Elmfield School in Bristol and joined in with their HIPpO group (Hearing Impaired Partnership Opportunity Group).  Elmfield School  is an established Special school for Deaf children from 2 years to 16 years in Westbury on Trym.  He loved playing with other children of his own age and communicating in his own language for the afternoon and would like to go there again, though he recognises it is quite a long way in the car and the traffic was very slow on the way home!