Headteacher at Longwill Primary School for the Deaf

Longwill Primary Special School for Deaf Children

Longwill is currently a 65 place Special School for profoundly Deaf children aged from 2-11 years old who come from across the West Midlands Region.

The Learning Environment

• Longwill is a sign-bilingual, bi-cultural      learning environment, which strives to support and develop the      communication needs and abilities of its members so that the pupils are      equipped to function effectively within both the Hearing and the Deaf      world.
• We educate our pupils as independent free      thinkers, ready for 21st century life, capable of embracing the technology      of tomorrow, who are adaptable, self reliant, resourceful and tolerant of      change and who can contribute to the wider community.
• Pupils are taught within small groups by      Teachers of the Deaf.
• 11 Deaf staff act as positive cultural and      linguistic role models, teaching BSL and supporting learning in the      classroom. Both languages (English and BSL) are equally valued and      promoted.
• The Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning      (SEAL) are woven into the curriculum to ensure the emotional wellbeing of all      pupils. We have three Learning      Mentors on our staff.
• We teach English through a variety of means,      using BSL, Sign Supported English, Signed English, as well as      communicating orally where appropriate.
• We employ a digital team to ensure that      Longwill continues to lead the way in using digital media to enhance deaf      education.
• We work closely with Speech and Language Therapists,      our Educational Audiologist and a range of professional to support      positive outcomes for Deaf children.

Initiatives

• The school is part of the Birmingham Special      Schools Co-operative Trust. It has      an outward facing approach and recognises the benefits of strong      partnership working.
• We teach BSL courses in school and encourage      a wider community of schools to know BSL.
• All Teachers of the Deaf engage in Action      Research and collaborate closely with universities in developing and      improving ways to teach Deaf pupils.
• Longwill teaches Thinking and Learning skills      especially through the use of Building Learning Power.
• ‘Visual Phonics by Hand’- was developed at      Longwill to support phonic skills for Deaf pupils, who are visual      learners.
• The school holds the Gold Rights Respecting      Schools Award (UNCRC) and is proud of our achievement in creating a school      where pupil voice is strong and pupils are confident contributors to      making the world a better place.

Please visit through our website www.longwill.bham.sch.uk

Headteacher- Mrs Alison Carter

Longwill School, Bell Hill, Northfield, Birmingham B31 1LD

Email – a.carter@longwill.bham.sch.uk

Telephone – 0121 475 3923