Specialist Teaching Team

We, the Deaf and Hearing Support Team, work with children with a diagnosed hearing loss. We work with all degrees of hearing loss from fluctuating mild hearing loss to permanent profound deafness. We support children in their chosen education setting for example, nursery, school, college, university or, for very young children, at home. We offer support in the child's chosen language, this includes speech, British Sign Language (BSL), Sign Supported English (SSE).

Referrals

All babies are offered screening for hearing loss following their birth, at York Hospital.

Referrals can only be received from The Audiology Department, where a hearing loss has been diagnosed.

After a referral is received a Teacher of the Deaf will contact the family, to discuss their child’s hearing loss and the level of support to be provided by the team.

If you have a concern regarding your child’s hearing, please ask your GP for a referral to Audiology, who will assess your child’s hearing. If appropriate and with your permission, the Audiologist will make a referral to the Learning Support Hub requesting involvement from our team.

Levels of support

Following an initial assessment and discussion with the family, the child and education providers, the Teacher of the Deaf will decide with you on one of the following levels of support.

• on request
• 1/2 termly visits
• annual monitoring
• fortnightly visits
• termly monitoring
• weekly visits

We'll talk with you about our work and decide together on the level of support based on your child’s needs and this may change over time. We may also provide time-limited interventions to support your child at different times through their childhood.

Things we may provide:

• support and advice to families regarding hearing loss, communication, language development, including sign communication
• links to Early Support and Key working
• assessment of hearing, language development, literacy
• advice towards statutory assessment
• teaching support
• opportunities for your child to join groups with other hearing aid users
• advice to schools and early years providers
• provision of radio aids
• liaison with other agencies
• links with the voluntary sector, including charities for the deaf

For more information, contact:

• Senior teacher Shelley Nicol email: [email protected] or telephone: 07780 652535
• Sandi Poston by telephone: 07917 087023
• Rosie Hitchen by telephone: 07923206156
• Annalee Green by telephone: 07826859179 (text only)