A specialist deaf school is just like a regular school but on a smaller scale

To add a different side to my project I was able to interview Helen Shepherd, the Headteacher of the Royal School for the Deaf in Derby. I wanted to include a specialist school in my podcast to give the listener both sides to the education system for deaf children.

After some research and publishing a 'journo request' on Twitter, I managed to be put in contact with Helen and was able to organise a phone interview with her.

The Royal School for the Deaf Derby is a school for the profoundly deaf and teaches 120 children from the age of 3 to 19. Most of the children in the school also have an additional need, this ranges from having a medical or physical need to mental health or behavioural problems. I asked Helen about the facilities the school has, she explained it was just the same as a regular school but on a much smaller scale, for example their biggest class consists of eight children with a deaf and a hearing teacher leading the class. Helen added that having the school on such a smaller scale meant that they could give every child their own personal plan which benefits their individual needs. This is also an aspect that is particularly unique to Helen's school. Some of the children are able to stay Monday to Friday in the school houses. This was one of the reasons that Ruby's mum Sarah did not want to send Ruby to a specialist deaf school because she would not be living a 'normal' school life where she is able to come home every day after school and socialise with her hearing peers.

Photo by the Royal School for the Deaf Derby

I was interested to find out about whether a specialist deaf school would benefit a deaf child more than going to a state school. Helen told me that it does really depend on the child, some children can cope really well in a state school whereas some children do need that extra bit of support.

The school has deaf teachers and deaf teaching assistants

In each classroom, the school has deaf teachers and deaf teaching assistants and they try to have a native user of sign language as well as a hearing teacher who has the English skills to help the child access communication through both ways. I believe this is a very good feature to have in this school as it allows the child to break through the barrier of learning English which I am sure they find particularly hard to pick up. They can learn this while having the help of a deaf teacher which I think will give them the confidence to believe that they will succeed as they are looking up to these role models.

When I asked Helen about her opinion on the national statistic that deaf children fall at least a grade below their hearing peers she said that the school very carefully tracks every Childs progress. She explained that some children find even reading the exam paper difficult because of the language difficulties they have because of their hearing impediment. However, she assured me that the children at her school make expected or even more than expected process which proves that the approach the school uses to teach their children is the correct approach for them.

Listen to how Helen hopes to expand the Royal School for the Deaf Derby in the future:

Find out more about the Royal School for the Deaf by visiting their website: