Jordanstown Schools is a school for deaf children and children with visual impairments, including

blindness Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

. It is based in

Jordanstown Jordanstown ( ga, Baile Mhic Shiúrtáin) is a townland (of 964 acres) and electoral ward in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is within the urban area of Newtownabbey and the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council area. It is also situated i ...

, north of

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. Despite Presbyterian and Anglican roots, it is now non-denominational. The school is owned by the Ulster Society for Promoting the Education of the Deaf and the Blind whose roots are in the

Claremont Institution The Claremont Institution for the Deaf and Dumb at Glasnevin, Dublin, was the first school for the Deaf in Ireland. It was established in 1816 by Dr. Charles Orpen. History During his work at the Workhouse of the House of Industry in Dublin in ...

of Dublin and the Belfast Auxiliary Society. The society, formed 25 April 1821, was to send Ulster's deaf children to the Claremont Institution, which was Ireland's first school for the deaf and dumb, founded in 1816.Pollard, R., The Avenue: A History of the Claremont Institution, Denzille Press, 2006. Belfast Day School for the Deaf and Dumb was founded in 1831 and was originally based in a small schoolroom at Donegall Street Congregational Church in the

city centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

. In 1845 it moved to the Lisburn Road, a site now occupied by the medical department of Queen's University. In 1961 it again moved, to its present site in Jordanstown, close to the

University of Ulster sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

. The school offers both

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works * ...

and

secondary Secondary may refer to: Science and nature * Secondary emission, of particles ** Secondary electrons, electrons generated as ionization products * The secondary winding, or the electrical or electronic circuit connected to the secondary winding i ...

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

, catering for children between 4 and 19. Adam Smith was appointed principal in 2016.

Languages use

Northern Ireland Sign Language Northern Ireland Sign language (NISL) is a sign language used mainly by deaf people in Northern Ireland. NISL is described as being related to Irish Sign Language (ISL) at the syntactic level while the lexicon is based on British Sign Language ...

is practiced in the Deaf Department with several children from families where

or/and

Irish Sign Language Irish Sign Language (ISL, ga, Teanga Chomharthaíochta na hÉireann) is the sign language of Ireland, used primarily in the Republic of Ireland. It is also used in Northern Ireland, alongside British Sign Language (BSL). Irish Sign Language is ...

is used on a daily basis. However the Schools promote the Total Communication policy with the focus on using Signed English. English is used in the Blind Department.

References

External links

School websiteJordanstown Revisited – Warts And All
{{authority control Schools for the deaf in the United Kingdom Schools in Belfast Schools for the blind in the United Kingdom Special schools in Northern Ireland Educational institutions established in 1831 1831 establishments in Ireland Newtownabbey