Elmfield School for Deaf Children

About the school's work

Essential award: June 2025

Congratulations to Elmfield School for Deaf Children on achieving the Essential Award!

Highlights of the school's work:

• Developing an understanding of the health and wellbeing needs of each student by creating individual pupil profiles, maintaining close relationships with pupils' families, and working with various health professionals.
• Incorporating student votes in decisions regarding school life such as decoration of the new school building and playground, fundraising days, termly lunchtime activities etc.
• School councils represent a range of ages and abilities.
• Delivering lessons and assemblies bilingually to meet communication needs.
• PSHE focuses on social skills, maintaining friendships, and ways of managing different emotions and thoughts throughout the curriculum, and is adapted to address pupils' needs.
• Investing in health and wellbeing support for staff.
  
  

The school is most proud of:

“Since starting lunchtime clubs, there have been far less fall outs and disagreements on the playground, meaning that teaching time is not being used to resolve conflict and children can restart their learning feeling happy about their time outside. There has also been a large reduction in the use of the word "bullying" to describe disagreements amongst peers.”

As a result of working with the Bristol Healthy Schools Programme:

“As staff, we are thinking more about how we can encourage better physical health for our pupils. The work that our ELSA does is also making a difference to the mental health of children in school.
As a result of the progress we have already seen, I have lots of ideas to support parents to be involved with our healthy school scheme too.”