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NDCS have updated the bullying section on their website
August 2019
NDCS have updated the Bullying section on their website with more information and advice for parents of deaf children.
They have compiled what was previously included in the PDF (‘Bullying: Advice for parents of deaf children’) to enhance the digital offering and the new section includes general information around bullying, including tips of what to look for in your children and what to do if you are concerned that your child is being bullied. The section also includes information on what the law says about bullying and more specific details around cyberbullying.
You can find the new, updated section using the links below:
SENSORY INCLUSION SERVICE REVIEW
As some of you may be aware the Sensory Inclusion Service (SIS) underwent a review last summer. The review was completed by SEND4Change and their report is now publicly available. The following joint statement from Telford and Wrekin and Shropshire Councils regarding the review of the SIS was released in December 2018.
Joint statement from Telford and Wrekin and Shropshire Councils regarding the review of the
Sensory Inclusion Service (SIS) undertaken by SEND4Change
During the summer of 2018, Telford and Wrekin and Shropshire carried out a review of the Sensory
Inclusion Service (SIS) that provides provision across both local areas for children and young people
with hearing and visual impairment. The review was facilitated by SEND4Change, an external
company with experience in SEN arrangements and a particular interest and knowledge of sensory
services.
The review involved a detailed analysis of the service offer, its affordability, the views of service users
and its effectiveness. Whilst recognising that the service is held in high regard, the review has
suggested recommendations for a programme of change surrounding areas in need of improvement.
Telford and Wrekin and Shropshire Councils have welcomed the insight provided and will, in the
coming months, consider next steps to take, including implementation of any key recommendations.
Telford and Wrekin and Shropshire Councils are committed to working with all stakeholders, including
children, young people and parents/carers in developing a future change management programme to
deliver a service model that demonstrates:
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Children and young people’s needs continue to be identified appropriately
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Children and young people’s needs are met now and in the foreseeable future
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Interventions are carried out efficiently, effectively and by the right staff
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The service supports children and young people to prepare for their life as an adult
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The service has sufficient resources, is sustainable and represents value for money
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The service can build capacity in educational settings and the family home
Our immediate priorities are to:
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Improve the range of online resources and information available to children, young people families
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and education settings
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Build the capacity of our education settings to meet the needs of children and young people with
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sensory impairment by developing a traded offer of service delivery
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Deliver efficiencies through low risk change activities that have been identified by the service itself.
Where any changes are proposed in the future we will ensure to communicate our intentions with
parents and families.
For further information, you can download the full SEND4Change report available on the SEND local
offers of both Telford and Wrekin and Shropshire at:
Sensory Inclusion Service (SIS) – Telford and Wrekin Council
Sensory Inclusion Service (SIS) Review | Shropshire Council
Please note that the report constitutes the findings of work completed by SEND4Change. Careful
consideration will be given regarding the implementation of recommendations that have been made.
Should you require further information please contact either Simon Wellman
(Simon.Wellman@telford.gov.uk) or Julia Dean (Julia.Dean@shropshire.gov.uk), SEND leads for
Telford and Wrekin and Shropshire Councils.
ALEXANDER'S WORLD SCOUT JAMBOREE ADVENTURE
Following a rigorous selection process, Alexander Barrett has been chosen as one of 30 Scouts from Shropshire who will join the 4,000 strong UK contingent going to the World Scout Jamboree next July. The Jamboree is being held in West Virginia, USA and will involve over 40,000 young people from 160 countries around the globe. The first challenge for each participant is to help raise the money for their trip (£3,700) and Alexander is busy undertaking bag packs, litter picks, bucket collections, paper rounds, gardening, cake sales and any other fund-raising activity he can think of!
The two-week camp in West Virginia will involve sporting, outdoor, social and educational activities and Alex will have the chance to learn new skills and take on new challenges. He will get to know people from a wide variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds and learn about their lives. As well as the camp, Alex will visit New York and Washington and stay for a few days with a family in Canada. As you can imagine, Alex is very excited about the trip and will be keen to share his experiences after the event – post-Jamboree report to follow next summer.
STORIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Winter 2018
VLOGGING ABOUT DEAFNESS
Oscar Tomlinson-Crowshaw
I'm Oscar Tomlinson-Crowshaw age 10 nearly 11. I am severely deaf and have bilateral Cochlear implants processors. I love gaming and vlogging. I want to help other children understand my experiences so it can maybe help them. I write scripts for videos, keeping them funny but also informative. To get the information I use what I know and check the internet for more detail or to check if what I know is accurate. Next, I make the script this can take several days to craft. Then I make a draft of the video and edit it, over a couple of days I make several drafts changing small elements each time. Finally the video is done, I put a lot of work into my channel and hope people enjoy it.
You can watch Oscar's vlog here.
William Evans
William, age 16 has been playing volleyball for England Cadets under 17’s and was selected to join the squad to play in the Northern European Championship, playing against multiple Scandinavian Countries and has now been offered a twelve month contract to play for the England Junior Volleyball team.
William started his volleyball career playing for his local team, Tettenhall Tigers, a team that he now captains. He went on to become West Midlands U16s beach champion with his partner, Tyler, having never played before.
William also plays for the West Midlands in inter regional competition and in May his hard work was rewarded with a gold medal. Alongside this, William has been selected to play for Black Country Volleyball Club in the national adult league.
William has achieved this success whilst studying for his GCSE’s and now his A-levels, which his Dad says he is doing very well in too. William’s Dad said he doesn’t take after him and is immensely proud of his achievements.
VOLLEYBALL
ACHIEVEMENTS
Elena McBride
Elena is currently studying Economics, Geography and Maths A levels at Haberdashers Adams’ and has just gone into the upper sixth. Last term she was awarded a prize for Academic Achievement and Progress, which was amazing, as she had changed one of her subjects after the first half term! After school Elena is hoping to go to Exeter University to study Business Management with Marketing.
Alfie Pinchin
Alfie received a Special Achievement Award at the end of the summer term. The award was in celebration of how well the hard work and effort Alfie has shown this year. Alfie’s parents were thrilled. Well done Alfie!
SDCS FAMILY FUN NIGHT AND AWARDS CEREMONY
Autumn 2018
It was wonderful to see so many families enjoying the recent SDCS Fun Night. The main attraction this year was the ‘Animal Man’, who provided a very entertaining and informative show. It was fantastic to see the excitement and wonder on the faces of children (and adults!) as they had the opportunity to handle creatures as varied as giant beetles, spiders, snakes, lizards and chinchillas. As always, we finished with the annual awards ceremony, which celebrates the achievements of the children over the past year. Thank you to the Teachers of the Deaf for nominating the award winners, as well as for the ongoing support which con-tributes to the success of our children and young people.
The Kimberley Jones Award
This award has been set up in memory of Kimberley, a student of the Sensory Inclusion Service who passed away in 2009. The annual award is presented to a secondary aged pupil who shows progress dealing with their hearing impairment and/or facing new challenges
Carina Profirean
Carina has been awarded this award in recognition of the determined effort she has made to learn English and take a full part in school life, overcoming numerous challenges on the way. Carina arrived in England two years ago, speaking no English, to begin her secondary school life. She faced learning a new language and a new culture with a deteriorating hearing loss, and had no speakers of her first language at school. Despite this, she embraced English, applying a strong work ethic to learning her language and completing her school work. There have clearly been challenges along the way and there continue to be, but Carina has maintained a positive attitude and a smile throughout. She has also attended both SDCS and NDCS events, including a residential week at Dukes Barn. Some of her challenges are ongoing, but well done Carina for showing such resilience and determination.
Tobey Rippard
Tobey has been given this award for the amazing resilience and determination he has shown in dealing with his hearing loss over the last two years. Tobey has had a progressive hearing loss since the age of 5. When he entered secondary school in September 2016, his hearing suddenly deteriorated to profound levels during the Autumn term. Tobey was referred to the Cochlear Implant programme in Birmingham but for a child with a phobia of medical procedures, the prospect of having two eardrum repairs and two cochlear implants was an enormous and terrifying hurdle to overcome. However, he and his family, with the support of the Birmingham CI programme, persevered through what was an extremely difficult process and just before Christmas last year, Tobey had his first implant.
Since then his teachers have remarked on how he is a ‘different child’. He is doing well at school, engages in lessons and is developing more and more self-confidence. Well done, Tobey, you should be extremely proud of what you have achieved!
Andrew Broughton Award
This award is in memory of Andrew Broughton (Head of Service for SIS) who sadly passed away in 2010. It is presented to a child with learning needs in addition to hearing impairment. The Service is very fortunate in having Andrew’s daughter, Ruth, working as a Teacher of the Deaf within SIS and continuing the wonderful work undertaken by her father.
Henry Dagnall
Henry has a great attitude. He always works hard in our sessions in school, and keeps his teacher of the deaf well informed about the latest video games and films.
Henry is also becoming more and more independent in caring for his audiological equipment, including his FM system, which was introduced in January. Henry has been working on keeping his ear moulds clean, and he will soon be learning to re-tube them himself.
Maggie Banford
Maggie was nominated for this award as she is such a special young lady who was an important member of her primary school and much loved by the children and adults at school. Maggie loved being an active speaker at primary school trying hard to contribute to conversations. She really enjoyed being part of a class and joining in. She always demonstrated a willingness to have a go. Furthermore Maggie has always worked so hard during her sessions with her Teacher of the Deaf, has given of her best and has been extremely co-operative both during the checking of her hearing aids and with any activities completed. It was quite emotional for all involved when Maggie left St Georges, Clun. However, her new secondary school, Southall, were very excited to have her joining them. Maggie started at her new school in September. I wish her all the very best in settling into her new secondary school and on this new and exciting journey.
Margy Lloyd Award
Margy Lloyd was a Teacher of the Deaf who sadly passed away a few years ago. The award was set up in memory of her and the excellent work she carried out on behalf of the service.
The Margy Lloyd award has been awarded to a primary age deaf child or young person who has overcome a difficulty or faced a new challenge.
Ephena Bingham
Effie worked so hard in Year 1 and has settled into Year 2 life very well. She continues to give of her best in all areas of school life. She always tries hard to listen carefully and can recount stories with plenty of detail. She coped enormously well when reduced to 1 processor at times last year. Effie has a very positive attitude in relation to her hearing loss and towards her school work. Effie’s Teacher of the Deaf, Rachel King, has no doubt she will be an excellent role model to others in years to come.
Further Education Award
Elena McBride
Elena has been awarded one of the awards for young people studying beyond GCSE either at school or in college.
She has been an outstanding pupil both in her work ethic and her academic achievements. Elena is profoundly deaf from birth but has seen this as a challenge to be overcome rather than a barrier. She approaches everything she does with high expectations and an attitude that everything is possible. It has not always been easy for her given further drops in her hearing levels as a young child but her ‘can do’ attitude has resulted in grades which would have been exceptional for a pupil not facing the barrier of profound deafness.
Her prowess on the sports field has seen her play high level netball alongside hearing peers both in club and school teams. She has trained as a peer mentor for HI students and attended National Citizenship training. She is frequently to be seen supporting at SDCS events where she remains an inspiration for all young people with hearing loss and their families.
We wish her well for her A levels in 2019 and for her life ahead and look forward to her coming back to visit us and tell us all about her life in the years ahead!
CONDOVER HALL
Summer 2018
On Saturday 14th July a group of fifteen secondary aged students went to Condover Hall for an action packed day. The students participated in activities including high ropes, zip wire and canoeing. It was great to see how the group came together, helping each other to succeed in some very challenging activities, as well as making sure Sarah Court (Teacher of the Deaf) got a good soaking on the lake! A great day was had by all.
SPONSORED TODDLE
Summer 2018
Seven families who regularly attend Family Group took part in a sponsored toddle around Telford Town Park to raise money for Shropshire Deaf Children’s Society. The rain kept away long enough for everyone to complete the walk and the morning was finished off with some fun time in the park. The event raised over £300 for the charity. Well done to all involved.
LEAVING AFTER 18 YEARS
After many years of teaching French, in January 2000 I started working for the Sensory Inclusion Service as a Teacher of the Deaf and quickly realised that this was my dream job (which has made the decision to retire a tough one)! I feel very privileged to have worked with the most amazing children and young people who have gone on to achieve such wonderful things, both big and small, without letting a hearing loss deter them. The young people I have worked with have been truly inspiring and I feel honoured to have been a part of their journey. I have been lucky to work with amazing parents and carers and to be part of the great SIS team. I will miss working with these inspirational children/young people and my colleagues and wish them all a great future.
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I’m now looking forward to taking lots of term-time holidays (Dubrovnik, New York, Malaga planned so far), spending more time with my ever-expanding family, volunteering and relaxing.
IAN'S SPONSORED WALK
Well, I’m back in Broseley all in one piece, having walked 80 plus miles along the Hadrian’s Wall path from Wallsend to Bowness-on-Solway in the hottest conditions on record! I feel a real sense of achievement for having completed the walk and having suffered only one blister. If you fancy having a go yourself, I can pass on a few tips - firstly, avoid a heatwave!
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Thank you so much to everyone who has sponsored me - I currently have £632, exceeding my £500 target. There is still time to donate money to the work of the Shropshire Deaf Children’s Society before my Just Giving page closes by going to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Ian-Barrett3
Many thanks, Ian Barrett
PUB QUIZ
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Back in March, Ian Barrett went to receive a cheque, raised from quiz nights organised by Michael York, the grandfather of Joseph Nash. The money will be shared with two charities, SDCS & visually impaired charity.
Joesph’s Mum Lucy York is on the SDCS committee.
The quiz nights took place in The Queen’s Head and The Tree Crowns pubs, both in Dawley.
The photo was taken in the Queen’s Head.
Oscar Owen’s Nanny Sue ran the London Marathon this year and raised money for SDCS.
The charity would like to thank Sue for her support!
LONDON MARATHON
HIGH FLYING DAY!
2017 has been a fantastic year for the Shropshire Deaf Children’s Society (SDCS). Having reached the grand old age of 65 the charity has made the most of celebrating this significant milestone in style.
On 20th May, we held a highly successful charity ball at the Lord Hill hotel in Shrewsbury. Great food, good company, live music from an excellent band and dancing late into the night. This event was a wonderful way to kick start our anniversary year - not only was it great fun, but it also helped to raise far more money than we had expected. This money will greatly help the work of the SDCS in supporting deaf children and their families throughout Shropshire and Telford.
However, the most important event of this celebratory year was our annual Family Fun Day, held on 17th September at Broseley CE Primary School, which provided an opportunity for the children to join in the festivities. Despite a sharp downpour of rain to herald the arrival of the Army helicopter, the day was a huge success. As well as being able to sit in and learn about the helicopter, the children were able to take part in a range of other activities. These included a climbing wall, gaming bus, exotic zoo, junior golf lessons, backwoods cooking with 1st Broseley Scouts, face painting, bouncy castle and a soft play area for the very youngest.
Throughout the event all the activities were busy with excited children taking full advantage of the opportunities provided, helped along by an improvement in the weather. It was wonderful to see so many families and children mixing, socialising and having fun. This was all fuelled by plenty of tea, squash and cake provided by members of the SDCS Committee overseen by Natalie McBride.
CHARITY BALL
A Charity Ball was held at The Lord Hill Hotel in May to celebrate the 65th Anniversary of the Shropshire Deaf Children’s Society. 110 people joined us for a three course meal, followed by entertainment by The Hot Jazz Biscuits live band. The evening was a great success and overall, including the raffle tickets sales, the event raised just under £4000! Thank you to all those involved in organising the event, those who donated the many generous raffle prizes and everyone who kindly offered to buy/sell tickets. Further donations were made by people who were unable to attend on the night. Your support is much appreciated.
NATALIE'S SPONSORED CYCLING
"Some people like to spend a bank holiday weekend relaxing, but I have mad friends who persuade me to do otherwise! This last August bank holiday I was persuaded to cycle Coast to Coast, from Workington on the West coast to Tynemouth on the East coast, a total of 223km and climbs totalling 3,312m. I cycle quite regularly and like a challenge, but, I hate hills, so I knew this was going to be tough, and it was! In order to give myself a bit of an incentive I decided to try and raise some money for SDCS, friends and family were very generous and knowing that they had sponsored me helped get me up some of the monster hills. To date I have raised £655 and am still waiting for a few more sponsors to pay up! Thank you to everyone for their support and to my husband Dan for his encouraging words!"
Natalie
PRIMARY DAY
A group of Primary children in years 4-6 joined us for a creative day at The Hive Art’s Centre in Shrewsbury. The morning was spent with a local potter, creating decorative rock pools, followed by an afternoon of graffiti art. By the end of the day, many had learned new skills as well as making new friends. A great day was had by all.
STUDY DAY
A group of hearing impaired students from Year 8, 9, 10 and one student from Year 11 came to the Study Day in order to further develop their independent revision and study skills.
All the students enjoyed the day although one or two were a little apprehensive to begin with as they didn’t really know any of the other students in the room. However, by break time all the students were happily chatting to each other.
One of the highlights of the day for the students was the presentation from a former student about the process of transition from school to post sixteen provision. We were all delighted that Jess Jones was happy to come along and share her experiences. Moving to a new educational setting is always a little challenging for any student but sometimes having a hearing loss can make this seem more daunting so it was great to hear about Jess’s experience.
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Alongside developing study skills and finding out about transition the students really enjoyed spending the day with each other and with the SIS staff.
We are always delighted at the exemplary behaviour of the students and the way in which they show understanding and consideration towards each other.
SPONSORED BIKE RIDE
Katie Laffey cycled 239 miles around Shropshire and rasied over £900 for two charities, Fire-Fighter's & Shropshire Deaf Children Society. Here is what Katie has to say about her fantastic achievement:
WELL DONE!
I cycled 239 miles around Shropshire, stopping at each fire station, with my dad and a group of fire-fighters. We completed this challenge over three days, full of determination and aching muscles. This was to raise awareness of the Fire-Fighter’s charity and for me, Shropshire Deaf Children’s Society.
The reason I chose to support this charity is because I have a profound hearing loss. I wear a cochlear implant in my left ear, and this charity has supported me lots in the past in a variety of ways.
I completed training sessions at Stourport Cycle track with GoRide, Women and Girls Rider Development sessions with British Cycling which helped me to prepare.
I still can’t believe I finished the whole thing! I am so proud of myself for getting to each station! And raising over £900 to be divided between the charities. Just want to say Thank You to everyone who has supported me on this journey and it helped me raise this money for SDCS.
Katie
A group of fifteen secondary aged students went to Condover Hall for an action packed day.
The students participated in activities including high ropes, zip wire and canoeing. All the students and staff who attended this day had a very enjoyable time. It was pleasing that the students pushed themselves to complete activities which were challenging and out of their comfort zone.
It was fantastic to see old friendships being renewed and new ones formed and most of all to see them overcome their fears to complete the activities. A great day was had by all!
A group of fifteen secondary aged students went to Condover Hall for an action packed day
CONDOVER HALL TRIP
SLEEPOVER SUCESS!
A group of young people raised £550 for SDCS Charity
Beatrice Hadwen from Clun nominated SCDS as the chosen charity for Clun Methodist Church. A group of young people from the local area held a sleepover at the local church, where they made shelters for themselves out of cardboard boxes, played games, arts and crafts and listened to a talk from Beatrice and Ian Barrett (Chair of SDCS) about hearing loss.
The village also had a street collection and local schools got involved by holding non uniform days. In total the event raised over £550 for the SDCS.
Thank you all involved!
QUIZ NIGHT
A successful quiz night at Ellerdine Village Hall
Cheri Williams organised a charity quiz night to raise funds for Shropshire Deaf Children’s Society and Ellerdine Village Hall. The evening was a great success and raised £78.50 for each charity.
Many thanks for those who organised and attended the evening!
FAMILY NIGHT
SDCS organised an enjoyable evening for families on Friday 20 May. A special visit from 'The Animal Man', followed by a talk from young deaf adult and achievement awards presentation.
The children (and adults!) were entertained by Simon ‘The Animal Man’. He brought with him a large collection of exotic animals including snakes, spiders and frogs. The children had the exciting opportunity to handle the animals. They were also provided with lots of information about the animals’ habitats and feeding requirements.
A buffet of sandwiches and delicious desserts was provided.
Ian Barrett, Chair of SDCS presented five children and young people with awards to recognise their achievements and hard work. Awards were given to Noah Hole, Rhianna Berry, Daniella Wilding, Oscar Tomlinson-Crowshaw, Rhian O’Toole and Megha Penumudi.
It was a pleasure to listen to a talk given by Adam Faulkner about his experiences of school and college life as a profoundly deaf young person
NON-UNIFORM DAY
£700 was raised on the Non Uniform day held at Meole Brace School
Meole Brace School held a Non Uniform day to raise money for SDCS. £700 was raised on the day. Thanks to Caroline Wilding for organising this.
If you think your child’s school would be willing to hold a non uniform day, please contact Dawn Ball on 07794032904.
EASTER EGG RAFFLE WINNER!
Jan Muirhead won a giant Easter Egg chocolate from raffle
Ernest Bedford kindly donated a giant sized Easter Egg (on behalf of Shropshire Events) to raise funds for SDCS.
Ernest is the Grandfather of Abigail Creighton and as a family they wanted to ‘Give something back’ for all the support Abigail has received from SIS and SDCS.
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The SDCS charity Easter Egg raffle was won by Jan Muirhead from London.
Jan was delighted to win the egg, however delivery was slightly challenging, we needed an Eggspress delivery!
£300 was raised by the raffle and thanks once again to Ernest Bedford from Shropshire Events for donating the prize.
PRIMARY DAY
The Primary Day was held at Arthog Outreach this year. It was a great day with lots of fun had by all, including the Teachers of the Deaf!
Everyone arrived with lots of energy and were eager to get started. The first activity was orienteering and involved some focused team working in order to find some pretty well hidden markers.
We were then able to have a picnic lunch in the woods, which was a novel experience. There was lots of chatter and new friendships formed. Everyone was greatly anticipating the afternoon activity of rock climbing.
Before tackling the high climbs, there was some great games involving low climbing and lots of obstacles. Everyone really pulled together and supported each other though as we headed onto the big wall.
It was fantastic to see everyone there having a go at getting to the top, as well as supporting their team friends by keeping the ropes steady. At the end of the day, everyone left feeling a sense of accomplishment, and was happy to have made some new friends.
TRANSITION DAY
Pupils in Year 6 and Year 7 were invited to attend a Transition Day in Shrewsbury
For pupils in Year 6 this was an opportunity to meet with their peers in Year 6 and 7 and find out about life at secondary school.
We looked at understanding a secondary school timetable, some of the vocabulary associated with secondary school and the need to be organised with regard to homework, books and equipment.
All pupils also plotted their hearing loss on an audiogram and wrote a sentence or two describing it. The Year 7 pupils shared their very positive experiences of their first year at secondary school and it was very reassuring for the Year 6 pupils to hear that their worries and concerns about starting secondary school were much the same as the Year 7 pupils who have all enjoyed life at their new schools despite getting lost occasionally to begin with!
We are very grateful to the SDCS for funding this very valuable day.
NICK OWEN'S BIKE JOURNEY
Bike ride from Land's End to John O'Groats, a total miles of 962 miles!
Nick Owen is the grandson of Edwin Owen, the founder of the Shropshire Deaf Children’s Society (SDCS).
In celebration of his grandfather’s work and the forthcoming 65th anniversary of the SDCS, Nick undertook a challenging bike ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats. In nine days, Nick rode the length of Britain, a total of 962 miles. He covered around 110 miles each day, spending at least seven hours a day in the saddle. Nick’s efforts raised a staggering £2,328 for the SDCS.
Members of the SDCS had the opportunity to thank Nick personally for his endeavours when he handed over a cheque for the money raised at a recent committee meeting.
Congratulations
Nick!
PANTOMINE
Family day to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
On Saturday 2nd December, 48 families from both HI and VI joined us at The Place Theatre, Oakengates to watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, our biggest ever event!
The morning started off with an opportunity to meet the cast of the show on stage - to find out what goes on behind the scenes and included various photo opportunities.
The day was a great success with the children, mums, dads, carers and grandparents! We look forward to another funfilled pantomime later in the year.
We would like to thank Shropshire Deaf Children’s Society (SDCS) for funding this event.