Choosing the mainstream route is not for everyone and when considering our options we took into account many factors. For instance; after James was implanted , he was quick to acquire speech and language a second time around. He had no other learning difficulties, good cognitive ability, attention span and memory and we live in an area with excellent schools offering fine facilities and well managed classrooms. With James entering infant school speaking fairly well and with good social and interaction skills, I thought all looked very promising.

I know what you’re thinking, “it all sounds too good to be true and why can’t I have a school like that!”. Well, just because you have the above doesn’t mean that going the mainstream route is going to be like a “stroll in the park”. It may be for some, but it wasn’t for us and it still isn’t! At times it has been an uphill struggle and many tears have been shed along the way, mainly when dealing with the total lack of deaf awareness and - quite frankly - the unwillingness of professionals to take into account the considerations that need to be recognised when teaching a deaf child. Working in partnership with all concerned in your child’s education is so important and at times we have not been shown that courtesy. In my experience having an implanted child that speaks well and achieves academically gives the impression that no adjustments or further considerations are necessary - “He’s coping Mrs King, what are you worried about?”. But, like most parents, I don’t just want my son to cope; I want him to be given opportunities that will enable him to reach his potential.

Today, James attends our local comprehensive school which has approximately 1,350 pupils and has an excellent reputation for helping children achieve their potential. 91% of the pupils who left this summer gained 5 or more GCSEs graded A* to C. James entered this phase of his education with good SAT results and his speech and language ability at the time had been assessed as that of a 17-year-old, so the potential for him to continue to achieve was there.

In May this year (a year early), James sat his Key Stage Three English SATs along with the rest of his year group and achieved a Level 7 - out of 280 pupils he was one of just14 who achieved this result. Next May he will sit his Science and Mathematics Key Stage 3 tests and like many other children around the country he will also sit one Science GCSE, ICT and possibly one other.

He is now settling in to the routine of Year 9 and is in the top stream of his year. He is in a class of approximately 28 and is working on/achieving Levels 6 and 7 in many subjects. Earlier this week he came home with an end of topic science test result of 100%. Graded EP – 'Exceptional Performance'. He speaks well and his family are now the ones learning to listen to a new language - the language of teenagers where words are replaced with grunts, mumblings and utterances! I dread to think what a speech and language therapist would say!

Why have we stuck with mainstream even though we have had heartache? Well, it’s simple – James is our son and we feel the effort has been worthwhile and most importantly the benefits to him have been enormous, not just academically, but emotionally and socially. When James entered infant school he was seen as ‘the deaf kid’ who played alongside other children, whose understanding of speech and language was improving, who spoke well, but was still catching up and needed some classroom support. By the time he left junior school, he was seen as James, who was still ‘the deaf kid’, but seen by his peers as an equal, achieving and failing just like them and that’s how his friends and peers see him today.

How is James being supported at school nowadays? Well, James is now being included in decisions regarding his support and beginning to advocate for himself. He respects that learning support assistants have a job to do, but he just doesn’t want them it do it near him! So when help is required, it is offered in a sensitive and discreet manner, which is hard for the school to manage, but works for James. For the past year he has chosen to use his radio aid when he wishes and his grades have not been affected. Teachers are now asking him for advice on how they can support him best. For example, at the beginning of the school term his sports teacher called him aside for a quiet chat and told him he had never taught a deaf boy before and asked for advice on how best to go about it. With school trips his Head of Year asks him if he has any concerns and if so, they talk them through. James has recently asked his French teacher if he could try listening to any material that is due to be delivered by tape recorder, instead of leaving the class for live voice delivery. His teacher has agreed, but only on the condition that if his grades drop they return to the original method, which he accepts. James is now maturing into an independent young man and along the way is learning new life skills, such as diplomacy!

And socially? Well that’s the “icing on the cake” for me. He catches the bus home from school with children who live near us and yesterday when he arrived back the telephone rang, he answered it and ten minutes later was off cycling to meet a friend. Friends call for him to ask if he would like to join them in the park to play football and he is quite happy to take the train with them to our local town where they visit the cinema, go swimming or bowling and he has even been known to go clothes shopping! There are just too many social situations to mention and they happen all so naturally, which is just lovely to see.

Does James have any deaf friends? Yes he does, he may be the only implanted child in his local school, but he does have deaf friends and it’s thanks to the opportunities that the Cochlear Implanted Children's Support Group (CICS) has offered - through family get togethers and the skiing trip - that has enabled him to meet and make some. He may not see them often, but like most teenagers he is in regular contact via MSN and their friendships have grown.

I know that there will still be issues to address and resolve educationally in the future, but was I too ambitious choosing mainstream education for James all those years ago? I know what I think, but I’ll leave you to make up your own mind.