What Professional Courses Does Mary Hare School Offer?

Updated

Mary Hare School's "Professional Courses" keyword points to two different things, and the right one depends on who you are. For a deaf young person, the school offers a full school curriculum from Reception to Year 13 (ages 4–19), including GCSEs, BTECs, A Levels and Diplomas. For an adult professional working with deaf learners, the relevant offer is the school's wider services rather than its pupil curriculum. The page evidence confirms the pupil qualifications but does not list specific adult professional training courses, so anyone seeking those should check directly with the school.

The pupil curriculum: what courses are actually available

Mary Hare is the largest residential school for deaf children and young people in the UK, based in Newbury, Berkshire. It is a boarding and day school serving deaf students from Reception to Year 13.

The school states that it offers a full curriculum including:

  • GCSEs
  • BTECs
  • A Levels
  • Diplomas

Teaching focuses on spoken and written English to develop language, listening, communication and academic skills, with the aim of closing the language gap so pupils can access the full national curriculum. All teachers are qualified subject specialist Teachers of the Deaf, supported by an additional support team, and classrooms are equipped with technology intended to maximise learning.

Who these courses suit

These routes suit deaf young people aged 4–19 whose families want an environment built around spoken and written English, a peer group of deaf young people, and specialist Teachers of the Deaf. The school describes itself as supporting parental choice and working in partnership with young people and their parents on where they want to be educated.

Who they do not suit

These are school-age qualifications, not adult continuing professional development. A teacher, speech and language therapist or other professional looking to train in deaf education would not enrol in GCSEs or A Levels here. The page evidence does not describe a separate adult professional training programme, so that route needs to be confirmed with the school.

School provision versus wider professional services

The distinction matters because the keyword can be read either way:

Reader Relevant offer What the evidence confirms
Parent or deaf young person Reception to Year 13 curriculum: GCSEs, BTECs, A Levels, Diplomas Confirmed on the school page
Professional working with deaf learners "Wider services" of the school Referenced as a heading only; specific courses not listed

The page includes "Our wider services:" as a heading, which suggests the school does more than pupil education, but the excerpt does not name or describe those services. Treat any claim about specific professional training courses as unverified until you see it on the school's own pages.

How to check current availability and entry requirements

Course availability, entry requirements and how to apply are not set out in the page evidence, so verify them directly:

  1. Start with the school's own website (maryhare.org.uk) and look for admissions information and the wider services section.
  2. Contact the school to ask which qualification routes are running in the current year and what entry criteria apply for a specific age group.
  3. Ask about placement and funding if the young person would board, since the school is a residential setting.
  4. For professional training enquiries, ask explicitly whether the school offers courses for adults working with deaf learners, and request a course list if so.

Expected result: you should end up with a named qualification route, the year group it applies to, and the entry conditions in writing before making any decision.

Common sticking points

  • Assuming "professional courses" means adult training. The school's confirmed course list is for pupils; the adult offer is not documented in the available material.
  • Assuming a fixed course menu. The page lists qualification types, not individual subjects, so subject availability must be checked.
  • Overlooking the language approach. The school immerses pupils in spoken and written English; families considering a different communication approach should raise this early in any enquiry.
  • Skipping the partnership step. The school frames placement as a joint decision with the young person and parents, so build that conversation into your timeline.

What the teacher qualification means for course quality

Every teacher at Mary Hare is described as a qualified subject specialist Teacher of the Deaf. In practice, this means subject teaching is delivered by staff trained in both their subject and the needs of deaf learners, backed by an additional support team. For a family comparing schools, that combination — subject expertise plus deaf education qualification — is a concrete criterion to check at any other school you consider, not just at Mary Hare.