Deaf Academy set to move into part of £10.5m Exmouth home

A section of the former Rolle College plot will be handed over to the Deaf Academy in June, with the remaining works completed in the following weeks.

However, students will not resume their learning, or stay at the Exmouth campus, until the start of the autumn term in September.

This news comes after work resumed on the site after being halted due to the coronavirus lockdown.

Construction restarted in May, with workers adhering to strict safety guidelines.

Principal Sylvan Dewing said: “We are delighted that work has restarted on the Exmouth site.

“Our new academy will be an amazing space for our young deaf people to learn and develop.”

Most students are currently learning from home through the online academy.

A small number are being taught at the Academy’s spring camp, operated by Exeter-based WESC – a centre for those with visual impairment – which was set up for priority students and children of keyworkers.

Mr Dewing said: “Although we will be taking on part of the site next month, we have made the decision to continue with our online academy and at the facilities which have been so generously provided by WESC, as we can be certain that students can be taught safely in this way.

“We are all looking forward to moving to the new campus, but the safety of our students is our priority and maintaining social distance in a new environment may have been a challenge, so we would rather take our time to understand the new site and be absolutely certain we can teach in the required manner.

“We are looking forward to being part of the Exmouth community, which has already been so welcoming to us, and our students are really looking forward to walking through the doors of the new Academy.”

Due to the coronavirus lockdown, the academy was forced to postpone its fundraising colour-bomb event in Exmouth.

But it decided to take the event online as part of Deaf Awareness Week in May, and people across the UK joined in the virtual event.