Attending mainstream school presented several challenges for all participants.  These included the sheer volume of pupils in the school but also the small ratio of Deaf pupils compared to hearing pupils.  Adequately representing the Deaf unit and pupils in the school against the higher ratio of hearing pupils was not easy and caused some anxiety.

While some of the curriculum teachers at certain secondary schools could use BSL, not all teachers and support teachers were fluent.  This presented a problem when classes had to be covered by another member of staff and resulted in the communication needs of pupils not being met.

One participant advised that no BSL/English interpreters had been provided at secondary school.  Communication was all in written English.  Having moved to the UK from another country this presented communication barriers until some English language had been acquired.

The transition from one secondary school to another was described by one participant as being initially challenging because their teachers could not sign BSL fluently and this had a detrimental impact on their learning.  Catching up at the new secondary school was difficult but the support provided really helped to fill in these gaps and get their learning back on track.