Every child at Furlong Park has the opportunity to learn and use Auslan. Auslan supports natural language acquisition and allows deaf children and adults to communicate easily with each other. For deaf children and children with a hearing loss, there are many benefits to learning Auslan including the development of a strong sense of self from a young age when able to express and receive thoughts, concepts and language through access to a rich visual language. Student skills are built on from their initial exposure to Auslan via Early Intervention programs and further developed in our Early Education Program for 3-4 year olds. Auslan is used throughout the school and taught as a specialist subject. When studying Auslan, students learn about concepts and language as well as exploring Deaf Identity and the cultural aspects of deafness. Deaf staff and visitors from near and far provide a wonderful resource which is utilised to further extend and enhance Furlong Park’s rich language environment. Student Auslan classes are held weekly with children attending in dynamic groupings, allowing for pair, small group and large group learning situations, including Sign Choirs. Trained staff facilitate opportunities for students to practise their skills and learn from each other in safe, fun and stimulating situations. The Victorian Curriculum’s Auslan is used as the basis for planning experiences, assessment and reporting.