The Sound of

School canbea noisy place.Large numbersof children moving between rooms,bells ringing to signifylesson changes, raisedvoices and sports being played allcreatenoise. Activities includingwoodwork,music and drama cangeneratelarge volumes of sound

Modernschoolbuildings areoften constructedoflightweight materials which do not alwaysprovide sufficientacoustic insulation.Openplanclassrooms make intrusive noise from other areas difficult to avoid.

Aquickglance at recentlybuilt schools often reveals large expanses of glass This may be visually attractive, butglass is

alsoanexcellent reflector of sound waves Individualclassrooms canbeverynoisy too;30teenagers working in oneroomcan generatearemarkably highlevelofnoise even when working on writing tasks, and the acousticlevelsina music room,canteen or metalworkworkshop can be higher still.

There aretwo mainproblems withsound in school: confusion and distractioncaused by intrusivenoise from outside theclassroom,and poor sound quality within theroom.

The Department forEducation (DfE) makes it clearthatschools shouldhave goodsoundquality,‘enabling people to hear clearly, understand and concentrate on whateveractivitythey are involved in’, whilstalso minimising ‘disturbance from unwanted noise (suchasfrom activities in adjacent areas,teaching equipment, ventilationfans or road traffic)’.

(DfE Standards for School Premises2015).

Yet, even if our school buildings fully accordtothese standards,the noiselevels maystillbeunhelpful for manyofour students;particularly thosewith specific special education needs or disabilities. Many students find these sound issues distracting and highly problematic.

However,for studentswitha hearing impairment, autism, SEMH or SLCN, they canseverelyimpact their ability to fully accessand engage in the learning. Fora child witha hearing impairment,aschool’s acousticenvironment can have asignificant impact on their abilitytoaccessinformation andachievetheiracademic potential, andthe National Deaf Children’sSociety (NDCS)website provides resources on how to improvelistening conditionsinschools