Macdiarmid Primary and Nursery on Skye has received a Highland Council Quality Award in recognition of work on deaf awareness and sign language.
Macdiarmid won the category 2 award – for supporting people to learn and thrive for its work on deaf awareness and sign language. The Highland Council Quality Awards acknowledges the achievement of staff and the valued contribution they make in Highland communities.
Macdiarmid Primary and Nursery in its small, rural two-teacher school were nominated for creating an inclusive nurturing environment for all its learners; including two profoundly deaf children.
Macdiarmid’s journey has taken it from having absolutely no experience of working with deaf children to learning and teaching sign language, developing deaf awareness and even starting a signing choir for the community.
A class teacher has completed a diploma to qualify as a Teacher of the Deaf to meet our learners’ needs and staff have studied for and succeeded in achieving recognised qualification in British Sign Language. Mcdiarmid teach British Sign Language to all children in the school to enable the school’s two deaf learners to be fully included in our school community.
A passion for sign language, inclusion and providing excellent education for all is evident in Macdiarmid does.
Commenting on the award win, Macdiarmid Primary teacher Tara Lancaster told the Free Press: ” We are delighted that our continued commitment to inclusion has been recognised. A huge thank you to our children, staff, parents and the wider school community for their dedication and enthusiasm.”