Listening is one of the most important activities within a school. If the acoustic environment is poor, pupils struggle to understand and retain information. It’s particularly challenging for pupils who have special hearing or communication needs (SHCN), English as an additional language (EAL), or for young children in primary schools.
The Challenge
Designers, architects, teachers, audiologists, parents and local authorities are aware that children with SHCN should not be disadvantaged by poor classroom acoustics, yet the extent of disadvantage for each need is not well quantified, and there is confusion over when and how to apply the enhanced acoustic standards.
Sound advice
To help, we have created a white paper which explains the current situation and offers clear information and advice on how you can meet your duties to anticipate the needs of deaf and other disabled children under the Equality Act 2010 and provide great sounding learning environments for all our children.
Download the white paper and learn more about:
- Clarifying requirements for acoustics and where they apply
- Defining and quantifying the extent of Special Hearing and Communication Needs (SHCN) in our schools
- Developing acoustic criteria to deliver ‘inclusive acoustics’ for children with SHCN in mainstream classrooms, to minimise listening disadvantage
- Practical guidance to improve accessibility using a ‘reasonable adjustments’ approach, which is underpinned by Equality Law
- Introduce “A+ Grade” acoustic design best practice for mainstream classrooms
Need help? Get in touch
If you need to improve acoustics for inclusion and access in a mainstream school, we can help. Drop us an email [email protected] or call us on 0203 176 7909 to discuss your requirements.
