TOWARDS ACOUSTIC CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION IN MAINSTREAM CLASSROOMS

摘要

The Department for Education's (DfE) new Offsite Framework will shape the design of schools in England for 15 years which presents an opportunity to review acoustic criteria for mainstream classrooms via the Education and Skills Funding Agency (EFSA) Output Specification. This paper analyses the acoustic criteria for mainstream classrooms against a thorough review of the evidence base for speech perception by typical children and those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Reasonable adjustments to the acoustic criteria to improve access to learning, within the available funding budget, are proposed. Classroom management and the use of communication aids to restore intelligibility are also considered, to ensure that people with additional listening needs are not placed at a disadvantage.