Signing Choir provides our Deaf children with an optimum situation to use their aids to the best of their capabilities, helping the children to practice tempo, pitch and rhythm of language, and introduces them to many phrases they may not come across in daily life. It also allows them to be part of the wider school community as they can discuss the latest songs and artists etc. It also gives the children a major confidence boost. They are proud to use their language and for other people to want to be a part of this. The waiting list for places in the choir grows weekly. Signing Choir gives our children a boost of self-esteem; they often start school very self-conscious because they are communicating using a different method. This can be seen most clearly with our current Reception group – when they started in September they did not have the confidence to move or use their hands to communicate, now they are some of our most confident performers using both voice and sign.

“I like signing choir because it’s helped me learn lots of new signs I never knew. It’s also helped me find my dream job (sign language teacher) at the school. When I first went to signing choir I didn’t know any songs but as I went there every week I knew almost every song they learnt. It has given me a life long passion and I don’t want to go to high school because I will miss going to signing choir. It has been an amazing opportunity.”

Barnsley Libraries commissioned Amy-Rose to create a number of story and rhyme videos in BSL as part of our online offer during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns of 2020. It’s been a total pleasure to work with Amy-Rose, her videos have been professional, engaging, extremely high quality, and captured the imagination of many of our audiences. They have been some of the most popular things we have done online this year.

Amy-Rose has supported Barnsley Libraries to create new accessible ways for us to engage with our communities online, and we are grateful for her support and professionalism. We look forward to working with Amy-Rose again in the future.

Our mainstream children gain a sense of pride that they can begin to use another language, it allows them to communicate more effectively with the Deaf community within our school. Amy-Rose explains the structure of language to the children effectively which allows for greater understanding of British Sign Language. Many of our mainstream children go on to study BSL in secondary school where this is on offer. It allows our whole school to embrace inclusion. The choir provides the opportunity for our mainstream children to show greater understanding of the Deaf community. The children that come to choir find a sense of joy and achievement from this and the events that we take part in in school.

Amy-Rose has been teaching my daughter to play the piano since 2015. She loves her teacher who is encouraging, warm and friendly. Amy-Rose has a good understanding of my daughter’s personality and skill levels, is very kind and empathetic and am sure is a great hit with all her students.

She is very professional and extremely competent and skilled at what she does.

In January 2016 I recognised that I wanted assistance with developing myself both personally and professionally, and sought Amy-Rose’s expert help. Using her intuitive tool-box approach, Amy-Rose has been able to walk me though exercises and techniques to help me with composure, mindfulness, body-language, assertiveness and public speaking. Since starting classes with Amy-Rose I have found her lessons apply to wider variety of life-situations. Through one-to-one classes I have learnt techniques for remaining composed and collected in testing business situations, as well as for developing conversational skills with people in my personal life. Through learning basic improv techniques, Amy-Rose has helped me to develop a range of skills from active-listening and thinking on the spot to dealing with anxiety and for developing positive action. Amy-Rose has the unique ability of delivering challenging and testing training methods in a calm, professional and relaxed manner

Amy-Rose has been my British Sign Language teacher for some time now. She is always well prepared and attentive, she is a really supportive teacher. She has helped me, not only with my sign, but my confidence in signing. She is a professional and is a very skilled teacher. At different times she has also taught two of my children and helped them develop skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. Amy-Rose takes the time to get to know your personality and fits her teaching around your skills and weaknesses. She is always patient and understands how to build your confidence and your skills in signing. I always look forward to our lessons and she makes great coffee!