Welcome

We are proud to have an additional resource base for deaf children at Brimsdown Primary School. This specialist provision offers a secure and language-enriched setting for pupils with diverse levels of hearing impairment.

We are committed to helping our pupils achieve their full potential during their critical primary years by fostering an inclusive school community and offering a wide-ranging, multi-sensory curriculum, tailored to each child’s unique needs. Pupils benefit from time in mainstream classrooms, complemented by personalised support from our Teacher of the Deaf, Communication Support Workers, and British Sign Language instructors.

What do we strive for in our children?

• To reach their highest potential.
• To become effective communicators with a strong foundation in their first language.
• To be skilled in various communication methods, including BSL, English, and Sign Supported English (SSE).
• To develop a strong sense of deaf identity, understanding their hearing loss, its impact, and the equipment that supports them.
• To be confident participants in all aspects of their school and home life.
• To foster a love for learning and a positive self-image.
• To have full access to the National Curriculum.
• To be well-prepared for the transition to secondary school.

What we provide

Teaching, Learning, and Inclusion

Our dedicated team of qualified, specialist educators collaborate to assess pupil needs and deliver engaging, challenging learning experiences.

• A combination of standardised and specialised assessments to accurately identify individual student needs.
• Joint efforts with other professionals (including Speech and Language Therapists, our BSL team, the EWING Foundation, and SENCo) to ensure the best possible outcomes for students.
• Strong partnerships with mainstream teachers to promote inclusion, supported by regular training from Qualified Teachers of the Deaf and the BSL team.
• Access to a broad curriculum, including weekly Deaf Studies sessions.

Inclusion is ensured across all aspects of school life, such as trips, clubs and after-school activities through:

• A range of strategies to support pupils, including targeted withdrawal sessions, in-class assistance, reverse inclusion, and one-on-one or small group interventions.
• Qualified Teacher of the Deaf (QToD) delivers a tailored curriculum designed to address the specific language needs of deaf pupils during English lessons, catering to those students who require specialist support.
• QToD and CSWs collaborate with the class teacher to adapt lessons for subjects like Topic, Science, Maths, and other areas within the mainstream classroom to ensure access to the curriculum.

Through this approach, we aim to broaden deaf pupils’ knowledge while also developing essential language skills.

Communication Approaches

• A Total Communication (TC) method to ensure pupils at the Resource Base have full access to learning. This includes written and spoken English, Sign Supported English (SSE), British Sign Language (BSL), and lip reading, depending on each child’s needs.
• Tailored support for each pupil’s preferred communication mode, along with instruction to develop a wide range of communication skills across various methods.
• Ongoing BSL and deaf awareness training for mainstream staff, ensuring consistent and curriculum-relevant BSL use throughout the school.
• Pupils will develop strong BSL skills and a deeper connection to their deaf identity, through weekly BSL lessons delivered by deaf adults within our BSL team.
• Support for pupils’ social and emotional wellbeing through strong partnerships with families, specialists, and access to effective communication in the classroom environment.

Audiological Support

• Acoustically optimized rooms across the entire school building.
• Staff are highly skilled in using assistive technology throughout the school.
• Daily checks of audiological equipment ensure any issues are promptly identified, reported, and resolved.
• Regular visits from the EWING Foundation Service Audiologist to audit and maintain equipment, ensuring best practices are followed.
• Ongoing training from the Qualified Teacher of the Deaf (QToD) for mainstream staff, ensuring they understand the audiological and language needs of deaf pupils.

Criteria for accessing the Resource Base

Places in our Deaf Resource Base are allocated by the SEN Service. You can find more information about this on Enfield Council’s website.