Welcome to Silver Steps – HIARP
Silver Steps is our dedicated provision for children with hearing impairments. We offer a nurturing, language-rich environment where every child is supported to thrive—academically, socially, and emotionally.
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Mrs K Hamilton Joint Teacher of the Deaf - In Charge |
Mrs R Rowland Teacher of the Deaf
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Mrs S Thornton Teacher of the Deaf |
Miss G McAleavey Teacher of the Deaf |
Mrs L McCluskey Advanced ETA |
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Mrs N Burton ETA
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Miss B Smith ETA
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Miss F Sarwar ETA
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Mrs J Prest Advanced ETA |
Mrs S Jassat Deaf Support Worker |
🌟 What We Do
In Silver Steps, children receive specialist teaching and support tailored to their individual needs. We use a Total Communication Approach, which may include:
- British Sign Language (BSL)
- Signed Supported English (SSE)
- Spoken English
- Visual aids, gestures, and technology like radio aids
Our goal is to ensure every child can access the full curriculum, participate in school life, and develop strong communication skills.
🧠 Learning in Silver Steps
Children in Silver Steps are fully included in their mainstream classes, with additional support provided where needed. Learning also takes place in small groups or one-to-one sessions in our quiet, well-equipped HIARP space.
We focus on:
- Language development and vocabulary building
- Listening and speech work
- Social communication and emotional wellbeing
- Curriculum access and academic progress
📚 This Half Term in Silver Steps
This half term we will be exploring the traditional tale Jack and the Beanstalk 🌱📖, using it as the basis for our English work. The children will be learning to retell the story, sequence key events, create story maps and explore character speech. They will then adapt the story by changing characters, settings and objects, and will create their own books. We will also be learning how to write letters ✉️.
Alongside this, the children will continue developing their vocabulary, grammar and sentence‑building skills through targeted language sessions 🗣️, including work on nouns, verbs, syllables, listening and memory games.
In maths, we will be focusing on arithmetic skills ➕➖, statistics 📊, time ⏰ and money 💰, using practical and visual resources to support understanding. The children will also continue practising problem‑solving and reasoning skills.
🤝 Working Together
We work closely with:
- Families and carers
- Audiology teams and speech & language therapists
- Mainstream teachers and support staff
- External agencies and professionals
Together, we create a personalised learning journey for each child, celebrating their strengths and supporting their challenges.
🏡 How You Can Help at Home
- Encourage daily reading and conversation
- Practise key vocabulary and signs
- Support homework routines
- Attend review meetings and share feedback
- Use any recommended apps or resources from our team
📌 Please ensure your child brings their hearing equipment and a named water bottle every day.
Look out for our Parent Information Sheet below!
