Interview with Mike Pulford – Head of Secondary Department from Thorn Park School for Deaf Children from Bradford in Great Britain (by Damian Dudala during Socrates Erasmus Programme)
November 26, 2006
Damian Dudala: When and how did come into being Thorn Park School for Deaf Children in Bradford?
Mike Pulford: Thorn Park opened in it’s present site in 1978 and opened when the old building closed before the school was called Odsal House deaf school and was in an old building in another part of Bradford Called Odsal. the first deaf school in Bradford was opened in the 1890. The deaf school has moved around the city at different times in different buildings.
Damian: How many deaf children do you have for this time? The total number of the deaf children is faller or increaser?
Mike: We have about 80 deaf children which is about the same as before but lots of deaf children at our school aged 2 to 5 leave to go into mainstream. Some of these have cochlear implants. Lots of 20 to 4 pre school deaf children do not come to us any more but do straight into mainstream nurseries some of those children have cochlear implants. It is predicted that our numbers will fall because of cochlear implants and parents preferences to try mainstream.
Damian: You told me that in the future all council’s schools for deaf children in Great Britain will be close, can you explain?
Mike: The United Kingdom Government, Department of Education stated a long time ago and restated their wish to include special needs children into mainstream to give them equal opportunities including to chance to have a wider curriculum.
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Damian: In your school you use innovative method of teaching deaf children. You use British Sign Language but with off voice. Can you explain this? Can you give me examples and what do you think about this method?
Mike: The Sign-Bilingual approach includes the idea that deaf children whose first language is signing. Only learn concepts properly when signed to them in their first language British Sign Language. So, all staff need try and teach through British Sign Language. So, hearing staff need to sign the same as deaf people. When we hear our voices and sign at the same time we do not sign British Sign Language (BSL) but Sign Supported English (SSE). The only way for hearing teachers to use BSL properly is to sign with voice off. Then the children best understand. The grammar of Sign Supported English and British Sign Language are very different. Pupils taught through SSE do not learn as well as trough BSL. But when talking one to one we use our voices to those children who benefit from hearing speech.
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More about British Sign Language (BSL):
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