Every pupil at a primary school in Tonbridge is being given the opportunity to learn sign language in a bid to stamp out the isolation felt by many deaf children.

At Slade Primary School teachers are working to integrate deaf and hearing children to not only prevent isolation of individual pupils, but to make the entire school more "deaf aware".

Working out of a specially designed hearing impaired unit, teacher of the deaf Jayne Laker runs a sign language club once a week and educates the five deaf children at Slade.

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Not only do classes with a deaf child in receive an extra member of staff who signs along with the teacher, all assemblies and school events are signed.

Staff work continuously to ensure that all students - whether deaf or hearing - can communicate with each other competently.

During the specially organised signing clubs Ms Laker teaches pupils how to sign pop songs including Pharell's Happy which has been a chart topper for the past few months.

She said: "It used to be uncommon for deaf children to have hearing friends, but at Slade we really work to make sure that the deaf children integrate with everyone and can understand what is going on.

"It's great to see the hearing children really making an effort to communicate through sign, a few of them are really strong at it and will always sign while they speak, its what we call total communication.

"The clubs have been really popular so far, from the younger years we have about 40 pupils that attend regularly and love learning new signs and about 20 older students come."

The pupils spend a few hours in the hearing impaired unit every morning before returning to normal classes for the rest of the day, Ms Laker believes integration is so important in making every pupil feel the same.

She added: "No pupil should feel different or left out at this school."

The success of the unit at Slade has been recognised and highly commended nationally. Ms Laker was named as Professional of the Year at the Kent Deaf Children's Society for her work since taking over.

Parents and teachers alike have been impressed by the social progress of many children, and the confidence with which they approach conversation with other students.

Pupils are preparing to perform their Christmas nativity and will be signing throughout.

Video: All pupils learn sign language at Slade School

For more information on the hearing impaired unit visit: https://slade-kent.frogprimary.com/index.phtml?d=258541