Mary Hare School Review 2026: Finding a Voice

A quiet revolution happens daily at Arlington Manor. As the largest school for deaf children in the UK, Mary Hare challenges the assumption that deafness requires a different curriculum or lowered academic ceilings. This is an "auditory-oral" school, meaning British Sign Language (BSL) is not the language of instruction. Instead, the focus is on using residual hearing, sophisticated technology, and speech to access the full national curriculum. For families seeking a route to university and the hearing world for their deaf child, this school stands as a unique, if sometimes debated, beacon of opportunity.

The setting is grand—a Grade II listed manor house sitting in 600 acres of Berkshire countryside—but the atmosphere is intensely practical. Every space is acoustically engineered. Group Aid systems transmit teachers' voices directly to students' hearing aids, cutting through background noise. The result is a calm, focused environment where communication is deliberate and face-to-face.

Mr Robin Askew, the Principal, leads with a clear philosophy: deafness is a sensory impairment, not a learning disability. The culture here is fiercely aspirational. Students are expected to sit GCSEs and A-levels, not just functional skills qualifications. It is a place where being deaf is the norm, ending the isolation many students experience in mainstream settings where they might be the "only one".

The school’s refusal to compromise on academic rigour is borne out by the data. In 2024, Mary Hare achieved a Progress 8 score of +0.52. This is a significant achievement, indicating that students here make well above-average progress from their starting points compared to all schools in England, mainstream included.

Ranked 3,547th in England for GCSE attainment (FindMySchool ranking), the raw grades reflect the complex starting points of the cohort, but the progress measure tells the real story of value added.

At Sixth Form, the school operates much like a high-performing college. Students pursue A-levels and BTECs, with a strong pipeline to higher education. In 2024, 34% of leavers progressed to university, a rate that defies national statistics for deaf school leavers.

The curriculum mirrors a mainstream secondary school, covering science, humanities, and the arts. The difference lies in the delivery. Classes are small, typically containing 8 to 10 students. Teachers are qualified Teachers of the Deaf (ToDs) or subject specialists working towards the qualification.

The "auditory-oral" approach means lessons are conducted in spoken English. Visual aids are used extensively, but the primary mode of instruction is speech. This immersion is designed to build the sophisticated vocabulary and syntax necessary for higher-level academic thinking, which the school believes can sometimes be limited by a reliance solely on signing.

Therapy here is not an appointment students leave class for; it is woven into the fabric of the school day. The on-site audiology department is clinical-grade, capable of taking mould impressions and reprogramming hearing aids or cochlear implants instantly. This ensures that no learning time is lost to technical equipment failure.

Speech and Language Therapists work alongside teachers in the classroom. They pre-teach vocabulary for upcoming biology or history topics, ensuring students have the semantic building blocks to access the lesson content.

With a national catchment area, boarding is central to the Mary Hare experience. Approximately half the students board, creating a vibrant community that combats social isolation. The care provision is exceptional; the most recent Ofsted inspection of the residential provision in November 2024 rated it Outstanding.

Boarding houses are modern and homely, staffed by teams who understand the unique social needs of deaf teenagers. Weekends are busy with trips and activities, fostering friendships that often last a lifetime.

Mary Hare is a Non-Maintained Special School. Almost all places are funded by Local Authorities through an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

Admission is based on the child having a severe to profound hearing loss and the potential to develop spoken language. The school assesses candidates to ensure they can access the oral curriculum. This process can be rigorous, as the school must demonstrate it is the most appropriate placement.

Parents should be aware that securing a place often involves negotiation with their Local Authority, as funding a placement here is significantly more expensive than local provision.

The extracurricular programme is extensive and defies expectations. Music plays a surprising and significant role, with a music therapy department and student performances that challenge preconceptions about deafness and music.

Sport is strong, with teams competing against local mainstream schools on equal terms. The sheer size of the estate allows for outdoor pursuits, and the school runs a successful Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.

The school is located on Snelsmore Common, just north of Newbury. Transport is typically arranged by the placing Local Authority for weekly boarders. The school day is structured to maximise concentration, with regular breaks to prevent "listening fatigue," a common issue for deaf students.

The Oral Philosophy: This is the school's defining feature. It does not use BSL as a language of instruction. Families who view BSL as their child's primary language or the core of Deaf identity may find this approach conflicts with their values.

Funding Battles: Securing a place is rarely simple. It often requires a tribunal to prove that the local offer is insufficient. Families need resilience and often professional advocacy.

Distance: For families outside the South East, having a child board weekly or termly is a significant emotional commitment.

Mary Hare is a beacon of excellence that proves deafness need not limit academic ambition. It offers a "mainstream" curriculum in a specialist environment, achieving progress scores that would be the envy of many hearing schools. Best suited to deaf children with the potential for speech who want to access university and the wider hearing world. The main challenge is the fight for funding to get through the door.