New facilities for hard of hearing and visually impaired pupils

The provision of extra facilities will aid the teaching of pupils who are hard of hearing or visually impaired.

Charities have welcomed the announcement by schools minister Andrew Adonis that new funds are to be made available to cater for these children.

This is set to include £800,000 for organisations to allow more British Sign Language to be incorporated into the nation's schools, as well as resources to ensure that more books with large print and Braille are accessible for visually impaired pupils.

"Children with hearing difficulties and visual impairments have the same right to a quality education as everyone else," noted Lord Adonis according to the BBC.

He added: "It's vital that sensory impairments are not a barrier to learning."

Four gold medals were won by ten-year-old Oliver Kenny, a Watlington Primary School pupil, at the British Deaf Swimming Championships last week, according to Lynn News.