Primary school children have been enjoying five days of fun activities to celebrate Deaf Awareness Week.

Pupils at Roding Primary School in Roding Lane North, Woodford Bridge, have enjoyed visits from musicians, dancers and artists over the last week.

The school provides dedicated provision for 34 deaf children from across Redbridge and celebrated Deaf Awareness Week a bit later than the rest of the country because it coincided with sats

The week kicked off with a non school uniform day where the children all wore different coloured tops to form a giant rainbow in the playground.

Since then they have enjoyed an assembly where a giant bionic ear was wheeled out, a visit from a deaf choreographer and an African drumming workshop.

The children have also been making a mosaic celebrating Deaf Awareness Week which will be given a permanent place in the school playground.

Yesterday the school threw open its doors for a family day where deaf children and their parents visited from across Redbridge to get help and advice.

Debbie Wotton, a teacher of the deaf at the school, said: “The family day was really important because there are some children who attend schools where they are the only deaf pupil and it can be quite an isolating experience.

“The week has been about raising the self esteem of deaf children and making the other children at the school aware of their experience.

“All our pupils grow up alongside deaf children in their class and we have a signing choir at the school made up of deaf and hearing children.

“Lots of our staff, not just the specialist deaf teachers, know sign language level one and two.

“We are very proud of the work we do here.”

Fundraising activities during the week will help pay for new audiology equipment at the school and a donation will also be made to the National Deaf Children’s Society.