Penarth pupils raise money and awareness with sign2sing

Pupils at Cogan Primary School in Penarth last week hosted a sign2sing event to raise essential funds to help vulnerable deaf children and adults. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Organised by the deaf health charity SignHealth, the children joined schools throughout Wales and England to sign and sing ‘Reach out a Hand’, a song specially written for the occasion. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The school has a history of supporting events such as this and as some pupils at Cogan Primary suffer from hearing loss and rely on signing to communicate, sign language is a big part of the school’s culture. Cogan Primary School runs a successful hearing resource base, the only specialist primary age provision for children with a hearing loss in the Vale of Glamorgan, and provides specialist support for children with moderate to profound deafness, while fully integrating them into the daily routines of the school. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Susan Sibert, head teacher at Cogan Primary School said, “For many deaf children and adults, learning to sign is a lifeline. It gives them a means of expressing themselves and an understanding of the world around them. For hearing children, signing has many benefits: it enhances their communication and linguistic development, increases their confidence and self-esteem, and introduces them to the concept of other languages. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Along with our school values, signing is an important part of school life and fosters a kind and caring environment for all our children. Sign2sing is a fun way to involve all of the children in our school and raise awareness of hearing loss. So all-round, sign language is a winner.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Donations can be made by visiting www.sign2sing.org.uk/donate. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​