High cost of noisy classrooms

Thousands of children will needlessly miss out on education if the Government does not make sure schools have good acoustics, say a charity.
The National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) says sound quality in the classroom is important to all children, but background noise is especially harmful to the learning of children with SEN or with English as an additional language.
The charity warns that acoustics are a low priority in many newly built school buildings. "Some new classrooms are being build that are hostile listening environments. Large, open classrooms are being promoted without considering how new designs work for children with special educational needs. The Government has committed to inclusion and equality for disabled children. If schools don't sound good, we will fail to meet this goal."
NDCS wants the government to urgently introduce a requirement that all new school buildings pass an acoustic test before they are used.