How will my child be included in your school?

The Support Centre (SSC) at the school has places for students who have Special Educational Needs. These students all have a hearing impairment. The SSC is part of the Learning Support Department.

Hazelwick SSC aims to support students by meeting the ECM agenda:

• to promote inclusion and participation in all school activities
• to produce confident, independent young people who can communicate effectively
• to encourage independent learners in the mainstream curriculum
• to use a wide range of communication to suit individual learners
• to give a high level of support with the flexibility to encourage independence at the appropriate stage of the student’s development

Your son/daughter will be, first and foremost, a student at the school, fully included because of the support and access provided by the SSC and will have opportunities to participate in the wide range of activities, clubs and enrichment provided by the school. They will also have access to careers advice. 

Students will have opportunities for withdrawal to work with a Teacher of the Deaf, a Communication Support Assistants and Specialist Speech and Language Therapist to match their individual needs, all of whom have additional qualifications (such as BSL).

You will have regular contact in whichever method you prefer; email, phone or face to face; not only with all the teachers who teach your child but also with the specialist team of TAs, other professionals and the Teacher of the Deaf. 

Is a Special Support Centre suitable for my child?

Hazelwick SSC caters for Hearing Impaired students who have EHCP that indicates they need to have Specialist Support and access to a Teacher of the Deaf.

We aim to provide the appropriate and personalised level of support to enable students to become independent, therefore levels of support will vary according to the age and related needs of the student.

The staff team for the hearing impaired students consists of a qualified Teacher of the Deaf and dedicated Communication Support Assistants. All staff within the department have training to Level 2 or 3 BSL. A Speech and Language Therapist for the Hearing Impaired visits the school to provide a programme of therapy for students, tailored to their specific needs. The local authority provides a wireless Radio Aid system for each student to support the maximum use of residual hearing in the classroom.  SSC staff liaise closely with local hospital audiology teams and cochlear implant teams in order to ensure that strategies within school are appropriate for the needs of the individual.

What Age Range does your school provide for?

Hazelwick School is a Secondary School with a sixth form catering for students aged 11-19.

How is the provision in your SSC different from a mainstream school?

The school provides a support network with a range of tools which may be used to address its students’ personalised needs. These include in-class support; small group work for literacy, numeracy and social skills; individual tuition by our intervention team; information, advice and guidance; student profiles; modified curricula; mentoring, access to a counsellor or an Educational Psychologist if needed and access to technological aids. 

Within the SSC we use, in addition to all the above, a communication method suitable to individual needs. Every student has an individualized timetable. We provide personalised withdrawal with a Teacher of the Deaf. We provide students with and encourage the use of a radio aid system.

Where necessary, students have access to differentiated worksheets in class. For those students who need it the Communication Support Assistants will simplify instructions and explanations in class. All classrooms have leads to allow radio aids to be linked to computers when audio-visual materials are used and we promote the use of subtitles. 

We arrange for signers, readers and additional time in external examinations. We provide staff with Deaf Awareness. We provide support on school trips. We can arrange signed support for extra-curricular activities if these are an individual needs. Students can attend the Games Club at lunchtimes which is held within the Learning Support area.

There is close liaison between SSC staff, Heads of Year and subject teachers. Hazelwick has an on-site counsellor and SSC students have access to this with support if required.

What special resources can you provide for my child?

Hazelwick School has an SSC resource area which is a suite of 4 rooms including an audiology room, one small teaching room, a large teaching room and an office. It has a large walk-in cupboard for storing equipment.  The room has been acoustically treated and conforms to BB93 section 6. 

Resources are stored in this room and on the school e-learning site for students with Hearing and Visually Impairments.

There is an experienced Teacher of the Deaf in the school. The team includes a number of full and part time Special Support workers who have Level 2 or 3 BSL.
 
Students have support in mainstream lessons, assemblies and if needed in extra curricular activities. Where necessary the timetable is adapted to provide additional curriculum in a withdrawal base from both teachers and Special Support Assistants. 

What links are there with the Sensory Support Team and other professionals?

Hazelwick SSC has close links with the Sensory Support Team, participating in regular meetings, training and liaison regarding induction for new students. In addition to this the Teachers in Charge of the Primary and Secondary SSCs work together to provide induction for Y6 students moving to Hazelwick. Specialist Teachers at Hazelwick SSC attend Y5 and Y6 Annual Reviews to meet with parents, as part of the Transition process.

Hazelwick SSC also maintains contact with the Speech and Language Therapy Service and the Hospitals that provide Audiology for students in the SSC. Contact can be made with other Professional Services provided by the county such as CAMHS. 

Where can my child go when they leave your school?

After year 11 students can either continue into the sixth form, if they have achieved the entry requirements, or move on to a College of Further Education such as Mid Sussex College. Hazelwick SSC has links with Mid Sussex College and visits to the college can be arranged for parents and students.