Pupils at Kilbarchan Primary School learned British Sign Language (BSL) and took part in a spelling bee to support a deaf classmate, raising money for charity in the process.
Avery, who attends the school and has cochlear implants, inspired her classmates to learn BSL. The pupil-led fundraising committee organised a BSL spellathon involving the whole school, with pupils also using BSL as part of their lessons throughout the day.
Families, pupils and school staff donated £187 during the event. The money has been donated to the National Deaf Children’s Society.
The school said three teachers have also completed BSL training at Glasgow University. British Sign Language is used by more than 150,000 people across the UK, and most deaf or hard of hearing children are born to hearing parents.
Head Teacher Fiona MacKenzie said: “We are delighted to celebrate the success of our pupil-led British Sign Language (BSL) Spellathon, which raised both funds and awareness of hearing impairment. This initiative began as a pupil idea and was further developed by our Pupil Fundraising Committee, demonstrating the impact of pupil voice in action.
“Pupils led learning across the school, teaching their peers about BSL with support from our visiting Hearing Impairment teacher, Lauren Dixon. Their leadership, empathy and commitment have been truly inspiring.
“I am incredibly proud of what our pupils have achieved. They have shown real compassion, initiative and a desire to make a difference, qualities that reflect the values of our school community.
“We strongly believe in pupil agency and ensuring our curriculum reflects the interests and experiences of our learners. This project is a powerful example of how we listen and respond to our pupils. It also highlights the strength of partnership, when pupils, staff and specialists work together, we can achieve far more than we ever could alone.”
Councillor Emma Rodden, Education Convener for Renfrewshire Council, said: “This is a lovely example of pupils coming together to support one of their classmates and learning something new at the same time.
“Pupils have helped classmates learn how they can include people who are hard of hearing in everyday conversations. It’s great to see young people showing such kindness and wanting to make a difference for others.”
Photo: Kilbarchan Primary pupils learned British Sign Language to support a deaf classmate, raising £187 for the National Deaf Children’s Society through a pupil-led spellathon
Photos: Renfrewshire Council