Learning for Life - Scarlett's story

Recently, two of our pupils have approached us wanting to raise awareness of a medical condition that affects their every day lives.

This week with met with Year 9 pupil, Scarlett.

Scarlett and Humanities teacher Miss Makinson worked together to highlight a cause close to both of them – deafness. 

It was Deaf Awareness Week earlier this month and Scarlett and Miss Makinson asked for chocolate donations to make a hamper which they raffled off.  Scarlett also put together a presentation to raise awareness of deafness, to show how it affects her and to make others aware of her condition. 

Scarlett was diagnosed as deaf as a baby but cochlear implants changed her life. 

In 2009 she became the first patient to be fitted with the thinnest ever cochlear implant at Manchester Children’s Hospital. It was called a Nucleus 5 implant and, at the time at just 3.9mm wide, it was 40 per cent slimmer and two and a half times stronger than the previous generation device.  The sister of Miss Makinson's partner has a cochlear implant so she also understands the condition. 

“We wanted to do something to raise awareness but also to be Covid-friendly so we got pupils and staff to donate chocolate and we made a hamper,” said Scarlett. 

“We raised over £100 and it will go to Cochlear Implanted Children’s Support Group (CICS) and the Birkdale Trust for the Hearing Impaired. I wanted to do the Power Point presentation to show what life is like for people who are deaf and how it impacts on them as part of our Learning for Life lessons. I had a really good response from people who watched it and it got people talking about it.” 

Miss Makinson said: “My partner’s little sister has a cochlear implant so I know how it affects our family. When Scarlett wanted to raise awareness, I wanted to help. 

“Staff and pupils were very kind donating chocolate for the raffle and we raised £106 altogether, which is a fantastic amount. Mr Eastham drew the winner.” 

Prize winners were:  1st: Megan H- Yr8 | 2nd: Catering Team | 3rd: Millie V-L Yr7

Head of Learning for Life, Mrs Hopes, added, "As part of our Learning for Life lessons in school, there is a culture strand and it’s about respecting each other and understanding different medical conditions and things which affect our lives. Scarlett and Darcy (next week's article) wanted to show how their conditions are perceived and to try and help people understand it."