Strong leadership has ensured the full inclusion of children with hearing difficulties and other needs

The school: St Roch’s Primary and Hearing Impaired school in Royston, Glasgow, has 350 pupils of whom 50 per cent are Catholic with the rest drawn from a variety other religions. Royston is designated by the Scottish Government as an area of high deprivation, and a large proportion of pupils are learning English as an additional language.

Hearing matters: There are 41 children with hearing impairments, who are integrated into mainstream classes, but also have separate, specialist teaching. Many staff and pupils have learned British Sign Language, with great friendships being formed between deaf and mainstream pupils. The school has a signing choir, which performs around the city.

Top marks: The Scottish inspection authority, Education Scotland, visited St Roch’s last September and found it to be either “very good” or “excellent” in every category. “Staff show clear commitment to continuing improvement, reflecting the outstanding leadership provided by the head teacher,” said the inspectors. They pointed to the “outstanding quality of pastoral care” and the effectiveness with which the school “has ensured the full inclusion of children with hearing impairments and other additional support needs”.