Tewin Water School was opened by Hertfordshire County Council in 1953 to provide appropriate education for hearing impaired pupils. The school caters for hearing impaired, secondary aged pupils from all over the South and East Anglia, as well as those from Hertfordshire. Most pupils attend on a daily basis, but as some pupils have to travel a significant distance to attend, weekly boarding provision is also offered.
Tewin Water School is one of the few remaining schools for deaf children where pupils are encouraged to develop to the full their speaking and listening skills through consistent use of an auditory/oral approach, supported by written language.
Pupils come to Tewin Water from a variety of backgrounds - mainstream schools, unit provision and special schools. They have a range of hearing loss mainly from severe to profound. The ability of pupils also varies, from those who will be able to take a range of GCSE subjects, to others who will need more help to achieve important basic skills.
Hertfordshire County Council has just completed a brand new school building for Tewin Water, adjacent to Monk's Walk School, a local comprehensive with an excellent reputation. Tewin Water pupils are integrated into mainstream school lessons and extra-curricular activities where these are considered appropriate and meaningful. A number of pupils attend on a full-time basis and receive help and support from Tewin Water staff for all lessons. Places are also available within the Welwyn Garden City Sixth Form Consortium.
Tewin Water School has good facilities for teaching hearing impaired children. There is a well equipped Library and Information Centre with Acorn Computers and CD-ROM facilities. Additional Acorn computers are located around the school for use in most subject areas. Radio Hearing Aids are used in every lesson and classrooms are acoustically treated.
The work of the school is directed towards the requirements of the National Curriculum and conforms to the principle that all pupils should receive a broad and balanced curriculum, with approaches which address the special educational needs of hearing impairment. Lessons are taught by specialist subject teachers who are also qualified teachers of the deaf.
