Letter: Councillor backs changes to hearing support in Torquay schools

Above: Nick Bye. Image: Torbay Council

Making changes to any service provided by Torbay Council will inevitably cause concern to those involved, so the decision made to change the way support is provided for children with a hearing impairment is bound to be a big news story.

In recent years Torbay Council has commissioned 16 places (in total) for children with profound hearing impairment at special “units” in two Torquay schools, eight at St Margaret’s Academy (primary school) and eight at the Spires College (secondary school).

My understanding is just four Torbay pupils attend each of these units although a further one pupil from outside Torbay attends St Margaret’s and another three Devon/outside of Torbay pupils attend the Spires.

The decision taken to decommission these units is the consequence of reducing numbers, with just two pre school age children in Torbay identified as likely to take up a place in the future, also the belief that with appropriate individual support then children can learn in a mainstream setting, participating in classes with other pupils.

It is absolutely NOT the end of support for children who endure a hearing impairment but rather the delivery of support in a different way.

I had the privilege of visiting St Margaret’s earlier in the month, spent time with the Headteacher and other teachers as well as pupils including four of the five pupils in the hearing impairment “unit”.

What I was told was as the number of pupils in the unit had diminished over the years then the amount of time spent in the unit by the remaining pupils had also substantially diminished. Instead of spending most of their time being taught separately from other children they were now likely to spend only a small amount of time in their specialist “unit”.

St Margaret’s is an Ofsted “Good” school with a very inclusive ethos. What I saw on my visit was a very integrated set up with for example children from the unit participating in a choir and other settings, then a pupil with some hearing impairment, but not one of the five members of the “unit” coming into the unit to join a discussion.

It was all very different to how I imagined things would work there and I have no doubt all children will continue to thrive after the changes are made in September.

The school has made a request for the necessary funding from the Higher Needs Block budget and my understanding is our Director of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities has agreed this request other than a small amount for administration which is still subject to discussion. Hopefully a way forward can be found.

Additionally at St Margaret’s there are 13 other pupils who endure some degree of hearing impairment and benefit from some additional support whilst not being members of the Hearing Impairment Unit.

Judging from emails received there seems to be as much concern for these pupils as for those in the unit. I accept more needs to be done to reassure families and the wider community this will continue.

Clearly St Margaret’s is the “Go To” school for children with any form of hearing impairment and the legacy of the unit is expertise and indeed empathy which benefits all pupils.

However as I go around schools in the Bay I see truly inspirational practice and support for youngsters with all kinds of special needs. Several schools having a particular “specialism” without the need for a separate unit. Literally over the back wall of St Margaret’s the Priory School has a particular strength in providing support for pupils with autism, for example.

Indeed with rapidly reducing numbers of primary aged pupils in the Bay, due to an ageing population and falling birth rate, I can see more schools developing a specialist reputation to attract pupils.

Just about 500 youngsters entered Reception this year in our Torbay Primary Schools with a planned admission number substantially in excess of 700… so we now have more than 200 empty places in one year group alone.

So it’s my job as Lead Member for Children’s Services to work with schools and professional colleagues to ensure all children receive the best start.

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Image Credits and Reference: https://www.torbayweekly.co.uk/news/home/1695308/letter-councillor-backs-changes-to-hearing-support-in-torquay-schools.html