As part of Deaf Awareness Week, Orsett Church of England Primary School has been raising awareness of the challenges faced by those with hearing loss. The school currently has two children with hearing difficulties, so the staff asked if they would be prepared to share their personal experiences with other pupils.
One of the children, Oliver, is profoundly deaf in one ear and has significant hearing loss in the other. Learning sign language is therefore a key skill for Oliver, which is why he has been having lessons with a learning support assistant over the last 18 months. Despite the added challenge of having many of these lessons on Zoom during the pandemic, Oliver approached every call with enthusiasm and determination.
At the end of the week, Oliver took on the role of teacher and shared his new skills with classes across the school. The children found it fascinating to learn more about Oliver’s experiences with sign language and were excited to learn a range of different signs. To further support his classmates, Oliver has also put up some posters with key signs that he has challenged everyone to learn and use during lessons.
It’s wonderful to see pupils sharing their skills with the rest of the school community, and Oliver should be very proud.