Deaf Studies Centre opened
We were delighted to welcome the BBC to cover the opening of our Deaf Studies Centre by Ian Holloway manager of Plymouth Argyle and father to three of our pupils. The Deaf Studies Centre has been created to provide better facilities for learning British Sign Language (BSL). It also has a video room, where pupils can be recorded using BSL for any BSL exams they take. The Centre will also hold the School’s archive, which will include documents from throughout the 180 year history of the school.

Ian Holloway said he was delighted to be asked to open the Centre. “Having been made aware of deafness when my daughters were 16 months old, I know how vital it is that deaf children are allowed to have the same education as any other children. It can take some deaf children longer to develop their skills, and I am sure that this initiative will benefit thousands and thousands of children. I am honoured to have been asked to open the Centre.”

Jonathan Farnhill, Chief Executive of the school, believes the new Centre will make a real impact on students’ lives. “Developing a language is the foundation stone for learning. This Deaf Studies Centre will help our pupils develop their skills in sign language, and so be able to learn and develop more. They will also be able to learn about the history of deaf people and the deaf community. It will be a very valuable addition to the school”.

Parents’ Christmas Open Day
The Deaf Studies Centre was opened on a busy day for the school. The Christmas play took place in the evening, and during the day parents had the opportunity to hear more about new projects taking place within the school.

The Christmas play was the last play written and directed by David Irwin, Deputy Principal at the school, who is retiring at Christmas. Jonathan Farnhill paid tribute to Mr Irwin’s contribution to the school. “David has been a fantastic servant to the school for over 20 years. He has been totally committed to the school and cared deeply for the pupils he has taught during his time here. We wish him well with his retirement, and hope to persuade him to volunteer for the Christmas play in 2007!”.

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People
We have developed a joint project with national charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People to socialise hearing dog puppies in the south west region. The school will also be involved in research being undertaken by Hearing Dogs to look at the benefits of placing a hearing dog with a deaf child.

At present Hearing Dogs places specially trained dogs, many of whom having started life in a rescue centre, with deaf people aged 18 or over. However, the Charity has just undertaken a three-year study into the possible benefits of placing hearing dogs with profoundly deaf children. It is hoped that one of the school’s pupils may even be a candidate to take part in the research.

Hearing dogs are trained to alert deaf people to everyday household sounds such as the telephone, doorbell, alarm clock, cooker timer, smoke alarm and fire bell. Before the dogs undertake the advanced soundwork training, they are required to spend several months with a volunteer puppy socialiser learning basic manners and obedience. For the first time in the Charity’s history, a satellite puppy socialising scheme has been set up in Devon, and pupils at the Royal School for the Deaf Exeter will be heavily involved in the early training of the six puppies, taking part in regular puppy classes which will be held at the School. In addition to ensuring the puppies will be well socialised, this will be a valuable learning experience for the pupils as they watch the young dogs grow up and develop into well-trained future assistance dogs.

Deafax internet communication
We are working in partnership with Deafax to run a project, kindly funded by the Clare Milne Trust, to establish visual communication through the internet between parents and their children when they are resident at the school or college. With relatively simple technology (a web cam for the pupil and the parent and a dedicated page on our web site), parents can communicate through the internet using British Sign Language (BSL). This will make a huge difference to the wellbeing of pupils and parents and the technology is also to be used to offer online BSL teaching.

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Please contact the school on 01392-272692 to enquire about job vacancies. Alternatively, when we have job vacancies, we advertise them on: www.devonjobs.co.uk and www.jobs.thisisdevon.co.uk

The School is run by an independent charity that has a Board of Trustees. Many of these trustees are also governors of the School. Those marked with an asterisk are also trustees of the charity.

Richard Speight (Chairman)*
Erik Salomonsen (Vice-Chair)*
Colin Healy (Treasurer)*
Chris Buckhurst (teaching staff governor)
Tansy Symmons (non-teaching staff governor)
Catriona Fursdon*
Peter Brockman
Meg Knight (Local Authority Representative)
Jean Hickey
Kelvin Wakeham
Anne Liversidge (Parent Governor)
Philip Kerr

www.ipsea.org.uk
www.youthinmind.co.uk
www.britishdeafassociation.org.uk
www.ndcs.org.uk
www.rnid.org.uk
www.connexions.gov.uk
www.deaf247.co.uk
www.exeter.gov.uk

Above: Plymouth Argyle Manager Ian Holloway (left) officially opens the new Deaf Studies Centre at the Royal School for the Deaf Exeter.

Credits: Apex