Mary Hare Primary School A GSG School
- Mary Hare Primary School
Mill Hall
Pigeons Farm Road
Thatcham
Newbury
RG19 8XA - Head: Rob Rattray
- T 01635 573800
- F 01635 524999
- E [email protected]
- W www.maryhare.org.uk/
- A special independent school for pupils aged from 4 to 12 with hearing impairment
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: West Berkshire
- Pupils: 28
- Religion: Non-denominational
- Open days: Visits can be arranged at any time, on request
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
What The Good Schools Guide says..
We found year 4s waving huge watering cans over the potatoes, in anticipation of the school's biggest vegetable contest. Sporting activities include football, basketball, tag rugby and athletics on a field left behind by the previous occupants, the American officers of nearby Greenham Common. The children are encouraged to use their voices in all situations, although ‘talk and sign’ is also acceptable ...
What the school says...
Mary Hare Primary is a non-maintained special school for day and weekly boarders, following a natural oral/aural philosophy, catering for children with a range of hearing loss. We teach the full National Curriculum and aim to develop confident, talking deaf children who are prepared for life in the hearing world.
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What The Good Schools Guide says
Head teacher
Since 2018, Rob Rattray BSc Hons from University of Central Lancashire (early 40s). Started on a career as a medic before taking up a post as a teaching assistant, which persuaded him to train as a science teacher at the Institute of Education. His first job was in a challenging secondary school in Staffordshire where he met a sage old head and a classful of lippy students; the head told him if he could develop the skills to teach them, keeping his cool in face of their daily expletives, he could work anywhere. He is ever grateful for the advice, ‘I still look back and ask, what would he do?’ Since then trained as teacher of the deaf whilst working at Wilnecote School, Tamworth, before joining Birmingham education authority outreach team. ‘In outreach...
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Special Education Needs
Mary Hare Primary caters for children with a range of hearing impairment. All pupils have hearing aids or cochlear implants. As a non-maintained school, pupils are funded by the local authority that they live in. We teach children through talking using a natural oral/aural approach, which means we make maximum use of their residual hearing. We are not selective on academic ability. We take children who we feel are capable of developing spoken language to communicate successfully in the hearing world. Some children have language difficulties on arrival, others have significant emotional difficulties owing to their experience of failure in mainstream settings. We find this out by inviting the prospective pupil for a week's assessment placement. Deafness is our speciality, but we also welcome children who have SEN needs in addition to their hearing impairment.
| Condition | Provision for in school |
|---|---|
| ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder | |
| Aspergers | |
| Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders | |
| CReSTeD registered for Dyslexia | |
| Dyscalculia | |
| Dysgraphia | |
| Dyslexia | |
| Dyspraxia | |
| English as an additional language (EAL) | |
| Genetic | |
| Has an entry in the Autism Services Directory | |
| Has SEN unit or class | |
| HI - Hearing Impairment | Y |
| Hospital School | |
| Mental health | |
| MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty | |
| MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment | |
| Natspec Specialist Colleges | |
| OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability | |
| Other SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| PD - Physical Disability | |
| PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty | |
| SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health | |
| SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication | |
| SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty | |
| Special facilities for Visually Impaired | |
| SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty | |
| VI - Visual Impairment |
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