Introduction
At Kingsbury Green Primary School, the Total Communication Base for hearing impaired and deaf children (TCB) is an additionally resourced provision with 18 full time places. Pupils who attend the TCB are all members of the mainstream school and participate in school lessons, assemblies, playtimes, lunchtime activities, after school clubs, school productions, open days and educational visits.
Information relating to the school is on the school website or alternatively, can be obtained from the school office. This includes the address, telephone/fax number and email address of the school, as well as details of uniform, school times, holiday periods and our expectations of a child’s behaviour in school.
Kingsbury Green Primary TCB meets the needs of deaf children through the whole primary phase in Early Years, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2.
Kingsbury Green Primary School Mission Statement
At Kingsbury Green we will create the opportunities for all children, parents and staff to expect excellence as standard. The learning climate and environment will offer and develop in children and staff, empathy, intellectual and physical agility and the pleasure of hard work and a job done well.
Empathy, Agility & Hard work: The values, attitudes and attributes which will enable us to achieve high performance and be a world class school.
The Communication Policy in the TCB
In the TCB, English is used as a main mode of communication. Signing is used to support communication, teaching and learning. We aim to make maximum use of the child’s residual hearing through consistent use of appropriate amplification e.g. hearing aids, cochlear implant processors, FM and the Soundfield Systems.
We aim to provide an enhanced listening environment throughout the school. Access to Deaf culture is encouraged.
Staff who work in the TCB
Within the TCB, professionals from the Education and Health Departments work together to meet the needs of the deaf children.
Professions who work in the TCB include:
Inclusion
Inclusion means that all children are included in the full range of activities that the school has to offer. For some children this may mean doing different or similar things or receiving extra support for what everyone else is doing.
The TCB and mainstream staff work closely together to ensure inclusion. All children attending the TCB are members of mainstream classes and integrate at different levels, according to their individual needs. Each child’s programme is monitored regularly and amended when necessary.
Both deaf and hearing pupils benefit from inclusion. The TCB pupils gain socially, emotionally and intellectually from working alongside their hearing peers. Communication skills are also improved and inclusion helps prepare deaf children for life hearing society.
Hearing children benefit from inclusion in a different but equally valuable way. By playing and learning with deaf children, they gain first hand experience of how deaf children learn and communicate with each other and with the hearing world.
In this way, all children learn to value diversity and to respect one another.
Moving to secondary school
TCB pupils leave the school at the end of Year 6 and transfer to a secondary school placement.