The aims of the school were redefined and documented by the staff in 1991. The aims relate to the roles of the students, the staff and the community in the life of the school. They are the basis upon which all policies, programs and practics within the school have been developed. The aims are set out in detail in Appendix II.

The curriculum developed for severely and profoundly deaf children will vary in same respects from that designed for children in the regular school.

Hearing children, when they begin school, are already speaking fluently and have a good understanding of their mother tongue. They are then ready to learn to read. Many children also have a considerable grasp of some basic principles of number and science and some understanding of the world around them. They are ready to extend this knowledge in the ket learning areas - English, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Human Society and Its Environment, Creative and Practical Arts, and Personal Development, Health and Physical Education.

Children enrolling at Farrar, on the other hand, are usually without any intelligible speech, and (except for the children of sign parents) often have little or no understanding of verbal language. Because of their limited or non-existent language, they also often lack the normal three-year-old's understanding of the world. They are coming to school, then, both to learn language and to learn about their world in ways which language make possible.

These two aspects of learning constitute the major objective of the school, and the curriculum is designed to accelerate progress in both. Language learning is expected to follow normal processes of development. Hence the emphasis is not on language as a subject to be studied, but on language in use as a vehicle for communication and learning. Children at Farrar have individual sessions in conversation and speech/listening development. In individual conversations, the teacher helps in the development of language by following the child's interest and helping him/her to reconstruct shared experiences in Signed English. In individual speech work, the child is trained to use whatever residual hearing s/he may have, and to develop as clear speech as is possible in the light of his/her hearing loss.

Classwork in the key learning areas follows normal curricula as closely as possible, with great emphasis on interactive language activities which will enhance the children's command of a variety of functions and levels of language. Although deaf children's academic attainments are usually restricted by their limited mastery of language, every effort is made to give them a broad experience and understanding of the world around them.

In the area of physical education, deafness does not normally inhibit development. All children are offered those physical experiences which will best aid their development, and their attainments should approach those of hearing children of the same age.

The staff at Farrar is deeply committed to the welfare and the education of the students in school. In addition to regular teaching qualifications, all teachers have additional training which allows them to teach hearing-impaired children. They are also expected to accept the philosophy of Total Communication upon which the educative process of the school is based.

The school active promotes the employment of an appropriate number of hearing-impaired adults as members of the staff (teaching and administrative). We believe achieving deaf adults present out students with excellent role models.

1. Total Communication

(N.B. Total Communication at Farrar includes the use of Signed English, Speech, listening, lip-reading, reading and writing, and where necessary for understand, natural gesture and pantomime.) In recent years there have been significant changes in the attitudes of teachers and the community towards the use of manual communication in the education of children with total or profound, and even (in rare circumstances) severe hearing losses. There is now greater recognition of the role that signing can play in assisting deaf children of hearing parents to attain some ease of communication, especially in their early years. Indeed, current research indicates that for young profound deaf children, not only their linguistic competence, but also their social and psychological well-being may depend upon their early symbolic communicative environment.

The staff at Farrar believe in the right of the deaf child to understand and be understood from the earliest possible age. For this reason, Total Communication is used in the education of all children at the school, with the development of receptive and expressive language being supported through the use of signing, fingerspelling, written language, lip-reading and, if feasible, listening and speech. The use of Total Communication at home is considered essential to the development of the child's full language and learning potential. Parents are encouraged to attend classes in Singed English held in T.A.F.E. colleges, or from time to time at Farrar. Great emphasis is placed on the inservice instruction of teachers and ancillary staff who are learning to communicate in this mode.

2. Listening and Speech

Total Communication at Farrar means just that. We recognise that, however well developed a child's language may be in Signed English, the ability to speak will open more communicative possibilities than will signing or writing. Every effort is therefore made at Farrar to encourage the development of speech. A systematic program of listening and talking is undertaken from the time of the child's enrolment. It goes without saying that hearing aids must be worn during all waking hours if the child's potential for speech is to be realised.

However, different degrees of success are normally expected from children with differing hearing losses. Learning to speak intelligibly is probably the most difficult task faced by a child who born totally or very profoundly deaf, and speech and listening sessions may be discontinued after several years of effort if there is little or progress.

A child with more residual hearing can usually be expected to develop better listening and speech skills. Home experiences are crucial for the realisation of the child's full potential, and parents are encouraged to discuss the development of their child's speech and listening skills with the teacher.

A child who is developing good lip-reading, listening and/or speech may well be expected to communicate without signing in certain situations such as one-to-one conversation. In speech sessions, where, of course, as little signing as possible is used, lip-reading is also often withdrawn. This is done so that the child will develop his/her auditory skills as fully possible.

In general, then, communication is in full Signed English, but opportunities are taken to develop normal spoken communication with those children for whom it is a feasible option.

Assessment of children's progress is of continuing concern to the staff. A mid year report is prepared on each child and following this, parent/teacher interviews are held at the school. During Term 4 formal evaluations are carried out and final reports written. As well, the Principal and staff welcome the opportunity to discuss with parents any points of concern at any time during the year. Parents should ring the school to make an appointment.

If significant learning is to be achieved by severely/profounded/hearing-impaired children, high priority must be given to an orderly education environment and the promotion at school will be unable to bring to his/her work the high degree of concentration required. A high level of discipline is therefore maintained at Farrar, but corporal punishment is not used. However, when disciplinary standards are not observed, children may be withdrawn from the classroom or the playground, given detention during recess periods, or even excluded from an excursion.

In cases of serious and persistent behaviour problems, parents and, on occasion, the school counsellor, will be consulted. Working together with the teachers they will aim to develop strategies to eliminate the undesirable conduct and to promote those kinds of behaviours which reflect respect for the rights of others and allow the school to function harmoniously.

The few rules that exist at Farrar reflect our concern for the children's well-being and our desire to maintain an orderly learning environment and to protect them from the results of ill-advised or dangerous conduct.

Rule 1
Children will be polite, kind and helpful to other children and to adults in the school.

Rule 2
Children will wear the hearing aids at school.

Rule 3
Children will wear school uniform.

Rule 4
Rough and dangerous play is not allowed. Somebody might get hurt.

Rule 5
Everyone will help to keep the school clean and tidy.

Rule 6
Children will behave properly in the taxis, trains and buses on the way to and from school.

The involvement of parents in their child's education and in the school generally, is actively sought by the Principal and staff. Through functions and meetings arranged by the school or the P. & C. Association parents are provided with the opportunity to be well informed about the school and its program, and also to become better acquainted with the staff and each other.

Parents are welcome and encouraged to spend time in their child's classroom. However, because of the many community demands for visits, etc., made upon the school, parents are requested to arrange a suitable time and date with the school if they wish to visit during school time. The Parents' & Citizen' Association meets twice a year at the school and parents are urged to join and actively participate in the Association.

As our pupils will transfer from the protected environment of a special school to a more integrated post-primary situation, and as each child must be prepared to assume a place socially and occupationally in a hearing world, contact at the school level with hearing peers is essential from the earliest age. (It must be remembered that the great majority of children at Farrar will have considerable contact with hearing peers through their normal family and social life.) Hearing children are therefore included in our pre-school program, and when possible, children from local schools are invited to Farrar to join our older children in suitable activities. Occasionally, individual Farrar children (those with better speech and language skills) may join a hearing class at a nearby school for regular morning or afternoon sessions.

Through integration we aim to give our pupils some experience of regular schooling, and to give local children and their families some contact with, and understanding of, deaf children, However, while integration which is largely social has a place in the development of both deaf and hearing children, it does not, in our view, justify the allocation of substantial periods of time. Generally speaking, the staff at Farrar believes that integration should entail real learning for both the deaf and hearing children involved.

At home it is expected that children will play a full part in all family activities. Parents are also urged to have their children join local groups (e.g., Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, Church groups, junior sporting clubs, craft classes, etc.) where they will have further opportunities to interact with hearing children.

Children's hearing aids, vibro-tactile aids or Frequency Modulated (FM) radio frequency systems are supplied and serviced free by the National Acoustic Laboratories (N.A.L.)

Regular Services - A well equipped N.A.L. van visits the school regularly to check and repair aids. An audiologist visits the school at least twice a month to check the children's ears and the fit if their ear-moulds, and to take impressions for new moulds when necessary. She/He also discusses with the teachers each child's response to his/her hearing aids, or vibro-tactile aid, and the appropriateness of the type of aid worn.

Between Services - Teachers can make temporary repairs to tubing and hooks. (Damage to these is sometimes the cause of a whistling aid). However, if electrical repairs are needed, you will receive a note from the teacher asking you to take the aid(s) to your nearest N.A.L. Centre. Any delay in getting aids repaired means your child is missing out on important sound signals. So, if you find that his/her aids are not working, please either send them to school or take them to N.A.L. immediately. Cords and vibrators on vibro-0tactile aids can be replaced at school but for electrical repairs the unit (or parts of it) will need to be returned to N.A.L. centre at Chatswood.

1. Ear-moulds - The ear-moulds muse be cleaned every day. Wax or dirt on the mould can cause ear infections. Do not put mould in water. You can wipe it with a "Wet Ones". (These are good because of the lanolin they contain: the mould slips into the ear more easily.)
2. Batteries - Batteries are changed at school each Monday morning. Those currently issued to children have a life of at least a week with normal usage. Hearing aids with a well charged battery usually emit a string high pitched whistle. If you are in doubt as to whether the battery in your child's aid is working it should be changed immediately. Batteries are available from N.A.L. centres or from the school.
3. Settings - The audiologist who fits the aid well will tell you the number setting for the volume control, and the correct setting for the microphone witch. Check these every time the aids are put on.
4. The child's Part - From the age of 6 or 7, children should start to take care of their own aids (under supervision, of course). If they can clean their teeth, they can clean their ear-moulds. Most children - even if very deaf - can learn to tell when their batteries are running down or flat, by listening to one aid at a time. Your children should be praised for telling you when the sound is soft. Teach him or her how to turn the aid on with the lower switch, and how to turn up the volume when she/he is wearing the aid, by the running the thumb up the wheel.
5. Vibro-tactile Aids - The aid's functioning is easily checked by the feeling the vibrator. Again, your child should be praised for reporting a low or flat battery. Re-charging the battery every second night should become the child's responsibility at an early age (under supervision).

Visits to N.A.L. - At least once a year you should make an appointment at N.A.L. for an audiogram and a complete check of your child's hearing performance. The reports are send to the school, and the teacher will let you know if ant further action to be taken.

There are now five N.A.L. Centres in Sydney:

Finally - Children need to wear their aids all their waking hours both at home and at school. A constant signal is very important if they are to make sense of the sounds they hear, however limited. Children will get most benefit from their aids when you talk to them at very close range - looking at book together, doing jobs together, chatting and playing together. Remember, if you have any worries about your child's aids, please contact the teacher. 

SCHOOL TIMES: 9.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.

Children are required by law to attend school regularly. A child's absence may be reported by letter, telephone call or message sent with the taxi driver. If any child is absent without explanation, parents will receive an Absentee Notice by mail asking the reason for their child's non-attendance.

In case of certain illnesses children must remain at home and may not return to school until the quarantine period has expired. The most common of these illnesses are as follows:

Measles
Excluded for 5 days

German Measles
Excluded until fully recovered, and for a minimum of 6 days after the rash appears.

Mumps
Excluded until fully recovered. Minimum exclusion 1 week after the appearance of swelling.

Chicken Pox
Excluded until fully recovered. Minimum exclusion 5 days after first spots appear.

Ring Worm
Excluded until all evidence of the disease has disappeared or a medical certificate is produced stating that a treatment has been successful.

Pediculosis (lice in hair)
Excluded until hair is completed clean - neither nits nor lice being present.

Acute Conjunctivitis
Excluded until discharge from eyes has ceased.

Impetigo (septic sores)
Excluded if on exposed surface such as scalp, face, hands and legs.

For acute minor illnesses e.g., colds, gastric upsets, parents are also asked to keep children at home. Apart from feeling miserable, a sick child cannot learn, and there is also the possibility of him/her infecting other children or members of staff.

Parents are notified by telephone or in writing if their child become ill during the day or is injured. If a child is too sick to remain at school, parents will be asked to collect him/her if contact can be made.

In case of accident or sudden and serious illness where immediate medical treatment is required, children will normally taken to the Casualty Department of Western Suburbs' Hospital by a staff member authorised by the Principal.

The Department of School Education provides free transport by taxi to and from school for children age three to ten years. This service normally ceases at the end of the term in which the child has his/her tenth birthday. Free government or private bus and /or train transport is available to children ten years and over.

Parents whose children are travelling by taxi are requested to have their child ready at the pick-up point, as taxi drivers are not obliged to wait more than three minutes. This will ensure that all children arrive at school on time. A parent or responsible adult must meet the taxi each afternoon.

N.B. Parents should notify the school of any changes of address for the taxi service well in advance of the date from which the change will take effect. Failure to give the school sufficient notice of a desired change will result in your child having to stay at home until the change has been approved by the Department of School Education.

Please note that under no circumstances can taxi drivers be asked to pick up or drop your child at a different address unless permission has been given by the Department of School Education.

Any queries may be directed to the Transport Officer, Metropolitan East Regional Office, Cnr. Forrest Road & Gloucester Street, Hurstville 2220. Telephone 930-6082.

Please notify the school promptly of any change of address or telephone numbers (home and/or work).

School uniforms are a practical and appropiate form a dress for school and one which gives a sense of belonging. When purchasing school clothes parents are urged to by uniform items in accordance with the following list. Please note that the wearing of a hat is mandatory at recess and lunch times.

 IDENTIFICATION OF BELONGINGS

Please label the following items clearly with the child's name. Much time can be wasted in trying to identify children's belongings.

Clothing

Parents are asked to leave in the child's bag at all the times, one pair of underpants/panties in a small plastic bag. During the warmer months the children will participate in water play activities. Each child will need:

1. A sun hat
2. A towel
3. A swimming costume. (A spare pair of underpants/panties will be quite satisfactory.)

Teachers supervise children on the playground between 8.30 a.m. and the departure of the last taxi each afternoon. The school takes no responsibility for children in the school grounds outside these hours.

Parents are asked to send a nutritious playlunch/lunch to school each day. Lunch boxes should be clearly labelled with child's name. Suitable foods might include:

Remember - No lollies, glass bottles or can of drink are permitted.

Birthdays are celebrated at school for the nursey and infants children. Parents are asked to send in a plain iced cake and some cordial on or near their child's birthday.

A tuckshop day is usually held for infants and primary students on the first Monday of each month. This provides the children with a valuable experience which is often available daily to their hearing peers. Order forms are send home in advance and must returned to the school by the Friday before the tuckshop day.

Various notices/notes are given out regularly. Parents of the younger children are asked to inspect their child's bag each afternoon and as they get older, to train their child to hand over any such notices/notes when they arrive home.

From time to time excursions, usually associated with some classwork currently being undertaken, will be organised for the children. As children cannot be allowed to leave the school unless a sign permission note has been received, parents are asked to return such notices promptly.

Children from Infants up are allowed to borrow and take home library books on the class library day. A library bag must be provided for the safe transport of the books. Parents are asked to ensure that a books are returned undamaged the following week. Parents will normally be requested to meet the cost of lost or damaged books.

In 1991 a Subtitled Video Library was set up with a generous donation from the Burwood Quota Club. Children in the primary department are allowing to borrow subtitled videos to take home on Fridays. A fee of $2.00 per video is charged and videos must be returned on Monday mornings. The money collected is used to purchase additional titles.

Christen Scripture classes are held weekly by visiting teachers on a non-denominational basis. Parents who do not wish their child to attend Scripture classes should inform the Principal when the child is enrolled.

To encourage a sense of responsibility, primary children are rostered to perform simple jobs (e.g. watering plants, sharpening pencils, cleaning up lunch area, etc.) before school or during the lunch hour.

Children are also rostered to take home the hand towels for laundering on Friday afternoons.

Children are allowed to bring things to show and play with, but please understand that, although care is exercised, loss and breakages must be expected. Parents are also asked to ensure that anything brought to school is completely safe for children to play with, and that each toy is clearly marked with the child's name.

Banking is conducted through the school with the Commonwealth Saving Bank on a Wednesday morning.

For a number of years, a skiing trip has been organized for the older primary children through the Department of Sport, Recreation & Racing's Disabled Skiers Program. The group, usually comprising thirteen students, two teachers and a teachers' aide, travel to Jindabyne by coach on a Saturday morning and return to following Friday afternoon.

The younger children in the school eagerly look forward to the time when it will be their turn to go, and it is hoped that this experience can continue to be offered into the future.

For a number of years parents of some of our students, together with parents of other deaf students have organised a "Sign of the Times" club. At informal gatherings, such a picnics, parents have been able to meet, exchange ideas and discuss concerns, while the children can mix socially with their peers. We believe this is a very worthwhile venture and hope the tradition will continue.

1. Severe hearing-impaired - A person who severely hearing-impaired will have imperfect speech and will have difficulty in following conversation. Good eye contact and clear articulation will assist understanding.
2. Profound deafness - A profoundly deaf person may not have any intelligible speech, and may use signs and fingerspelling to communicate. She/He will need face-to-face communication with good eye contact, and may understand parts of messages through lip-reading. Mime and demonstration will assist communication.

NOTE: Children who are placed at Farrar are either severely or profoundly deaf. However, the term "Moderate hearing loss" may also be encountered. A person who has a moderate hearing loss may have defective speech, but will probably be intelligible. She/He will need good lip-reading and listening conditions to understand everything that is said.

1. Oral/Aural Method (Oralism)

This approch involves teaching the child to lipread, using hearing aids to get most benefit from any residual hearing, and to communicate through speech only.

2. Total Communication

Total Communication is a philosophy which endorse the right of every deaf/hearing-impaired child to communicate by whatever means are found to be beneficial to the child. Communication may be signs (Auslan / Signed English), fingerspelling, speech, lipreading, reading, writing, cued speech, gesture and any other means that will enable the child to communicate with others.

3. Sign/Signing

In Auslan a sign may represent a word, a concept, or a whole inflected phrase. In Signed English each sign represents one English word.

4. Signed English

This system simultaneously presents spoken English and a complete visual representation (using signing and fingerspelling) of its words and grammatical elements. The signs used in the system are basically taken from the Dictionary of Australasian Signs and are supplemented with fingerspelling for names and for words which have no signs, as well as for word endings such as -ed, -ing, -s, -ly.

5. Fingerspelling

Each letter of the alphabet is represented by a specific placement, form or movement of the fingers and/or hands.

6. Auslan

This is the name given to the natural sign language in the Australian deaf community (with different local dialects and different registers). It has its own grammar, which makes use of features such as space and movement. Although many Auslan signs represent an English word, some can express a whole phrase or concept.

7. Cued Speech

Student related aims

1. To develop the necessary skills to function in both the deaf and hearing world.
2. To develop a positive attitude towards school and learning.
3. To develop language and communication skills to full potential.
4. To develop appropriate skills across the curriculum.
5. To develop a high standard of self-discipline, personal conduct and social responsibility.
6. To develop the ability to make valid value judgements and to recognize that those of others may be different.
7. To develop an understanding and acceptance of deadness.
8. To develop an understanding of deaf culture.
9. To develop an understanding of and respect for other cultures.
10. To develop an appreciation of and respect for the environment.
11. To develop sound health and safety practices.

1. Within a Total Communication setting to develop and/or implement quality programs that reflect the needs of profoundly hearing-impaired students.
2. To develop each student's language and communication skills to his/her maximum potential.
3. To provide students wth an education that mirrors as closely as possible that of their hearing peers.
4. To recognize and cater for students individual differences.
5. To evaluate students progress, procedures and programs on a continuous basis.
6. To promote student self-esteem.
7. To encourage the employment of an appropriate number of hearing-impaired staff members (teaching and ancillary).
8. To promote the continuing professional development of all staff members.
9. To keep abreast of new technology and programs in mainstream and deaf education.
10. To recognize and utilize the special skills of staff members.
11. To promote staff co-operation and commitment.
12. To organize the school to provide an orderly, happy and supportive learning and working environment.

1. To encourage parents to be actively involved in the education of their children and the life of the school.
2. To support parents in the difficult task of rearing a profoundly deaf child.
3. To inform the community about the educational, social and emotional ramifications of a profound hearing loss.
4. To be sensitive to the aspirations of the Deaf Community.
5. To promote interaction between students and the wider community.
6. To promote a positive image of the school within the context of public education.