Deafness and Hearing Loss:

Qualified Teacher for the Deaf  (QTOD) Service 0-25

Team contact details

Please use the contact details below if you need any help or support with your child’s learning or if you have any other questions.  

Lyndsey Hignett   0151 511 7449/07770 855951    lyndsey.hignett@halton.gov.uk
Specialist Teacher of the Deaf
Julie Metcalf         0151 511 7065/07500 818147    julie.metcalf@halton.gov.uk
Specialist Teacher of the Deaf
Lisa Turner            0151 511 6169/07771 345310    lisa.turner@halton.gov.uk
Specialist Teacher of the Deaf

 

Click on the headings below to see how we support children and young people in Halton who are deaf or have hearing loss

 

Information about the Service

The aim of the service is to support children/young people (0-25 years) who are deaf or have a hearing loss, their families, educational settings and colleges. We work with other professionals and agencies to assess and meet the identified needs related to deafness.

We support families and the child/young person both in and away from school. The support from the Specialist Teacher for pupils may include:

  • Advice and support on how to help the pupil get the best from their hearing aids
  • Assessment and support on the development of speech, language and communication skills.
  • Suggestions and strategies to support pupils in lessons
  • Provision of specialist equipment, e.g. radio aids, and support on the effective use and maintenance of these
  • Carry out environmental audits of the school or setting to ensure the best possible acoustic environment for the pupil
  • INSET on the nature and implications of hearing loss and strategies for effective classroom intervention
  • Home visits to families of pre-school children to support with all aspects of hearing and its implications.
  • Advice and support to families with issues relating to their child’s hearing: support groups and links to other families, deaf or hearing loss young people.
  • The offer to accompany parents/carers on visits to hospital clinics and to view nurseries and schools prior to selection and application.
  • Liaison with other agencies, e.g. Audiology, Specialist Speech and Language Therapist for deafness or hearing loss, Local Speech and Language Therapists, Portage, Occupational and Physiotherapists, Educational Psychologists and Social Care.

The Service works with children and young people 0-25 years (pre-school, EYFS, KS 1-4 and post 18) with a diagnosis of hearing loss, while still in education. We also support children and young people with additional and complex needs whose deafness may not be their primary need.

The Service operates an open referral policy. Referrals are accepted from parents/carers or any other person involved with the child/young person. The majority of referrals come through health or education professionals. The agreement of the parent/carer must be obtained. The child/young person must have a diagnosis of hearing loss.

Referrals with the appropriate medical information can be made using the Referral Form for SEND Service/Specialist Teachers (Named Child Referral Form), available on the Education Support Services page.

The QTOD Service is a free service which supports the child, families and schools at pre-school stage and throughout their education including post 16 provision. For young people in further education a charge will be made.

Children/young people and their parents/carers can give their views through home and school visits and at events such as the Parents’ Coffee Morning. Parents and Carers have contact details (office phone, mobile phone and email) for team members they have involvement with. Feedback to parents/carers after school or nursery visits is by phone or text and a written report is sent to parents/carers after school monitoring visits.

A Parents/Carers’ Information Day is held every year. Information leaflets for Parents/carers include:

  • Books featuring deafness
  • Daily care and maintenance of hearing aids and cochlear implants
  • Communication choices
  • Tips for good communication with your child
  • Tips on how to get a child to wear their hearing aids
  • Useful contacts

The team consists of three full time teachers with the Post Graduate Diploma in Deaf Education or an MSc in Deaf Education working with children/young people aged 0-25 years and two Specialist Teaching Assistants. All members of the team update their specialist knowledge regularly. All are DBS checked.  Most referrals come from the Children’s Audiology Department once deafness or hearing loss has been diagnosed

Parents

Support and Information

 

Schools

Resources for schools

Advice for Schools

Websites and Links

Video Guides

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