The Deaf and Hearing Impaired Team (DAHIT) is a team of specialist staff, including Qualified Teachers of the Deaf, communication support workers and deaf instructors, who work to promote the educational inclusion and achievement of deaf children and young people

We support children who are deaf from the time of identification to when they leave school. The team work with children at Allerton Grange School and in their homes. We conduct assessments and provide advice for Education Health and Care (EHC) Plans for children and young people aged 11 to 19. 

The level of support offered to each child and family is based on the child’s needs.

The role of a QToD is to provide specialist input for deaf children to enable them to achieve the best possible outcomes inside and outside of the classroom. We plan, deliver and evaluate specialist teaching and provide support programmes for children. We assess and monitor the individual needs and progress of deaf children and provide on-going advice as appropriate. 

At Allerton Grange School (resourced provision) we also provide training and ongoing advice to the mainstream staff, other professionals and families. We work in partnership with mainstream staff to promote the maximum educational access, inclusion, development and progress of deaf learners. We promote the social and emotional welfare of children, including their independence, self-esteem and emotional resilience.

The role of a Deaf Instructor is to promote effective communication skills for deaf and hearing impaired children, and to teach, develop and facilitate the use of BSL for deaf children and monitor and report the progress of these learners. 

Deaf Instructors also provide additional teaching and support of mainstream curriculum material and concepts through the use of sign. They deliver and/or assist with the delivery of deaf awareness training to mainstream colleagues 

In addition, they can act as an adult role model for our deaf pupils.  

The role of a CSW is to facilitate access for deaf learners to the curriculum. The mode of communication varies depending on the individual child, but is usually through sign-supported English or BSL. CSWs also provide communication support for staff, pupils and parents in a variety of situations and adapt materials and delivery of curriculum content.

Deaf students predominantly follow the same curriculum as their hearing peers. The amount of time that a deaf pupil spends in mainstream, or being taught in the base depends on the individual’s needs. Additional support is also given to all deaf children in base. This can take many forms, including: “back up” maths and science lessons (which are an opportunity to revisit concepts that the pupil struggled with in class) or pre-teach new concepts and vocabulary that will be coming up in future lessons; additional PSHE to develop pupils’ understanding of the world; target/intervention time; etc.  

When necessary, English can be taught discretely within base lessons by a Qualified teacher of the Deaf. Due to the language barriers that many deaf children face, they can benefit from the time, pace, delivery and understanding of their specific learning styles to be delivered in bespoke sessions.