Let’s Hear It For The 100,000th Screening

A noisy celebration is in order for the School Hearing Screening team who have provided over 100,000 screenings to students across Queensland through the Hear to Learn program.

It was St Martin’s Primary School in Carina where the team screened their 100,000th student (or, shall we say, the 200,000th ear).

Since its inception in 2016, the Hear to Learn program has visited over 400 schools (many with repeat visits) and screened 102,669 students throughout South-East and Central Queensland. An average 7.9% of students have been found with not optimal hearing on the day of the screening, with approximately 10.6% of students referred for further assessment.

Helping students reach their full potential

The Hear to Learn program delivers vital hearing screening to kindergartens and primary schools across Queensland to ensure students are hearing optimally and getting the most out of their education, now and in the future.

What is otherwise a simple five-minute hearing screen could change a child’s learning journey and help them to reach their full potential.

While the State Government’s Universal Newborn Hearing Screening plays a critical role in identifying hearing loss at birth, hearing loss can occur at any time. In fact, the number of children with hearing loss doubles by the time they reach school age.

Classrooms are noisy environments and if a student is experiencing difficulties with their hearing, it can have a significant impact on their ability to learn. By identifying hearing loss in students, it can reduce the chance of delays in speech and language development, learning difficulties, and behavioural problems.

Creating lasting change with Thiess

To ensure that geography is not a barrier to accessing vital early childhood hearing services, the screening team has visited regional Queensland for six years thanks to Thiess, Hear to Learn’s founding regional partner.

For nearly thirty years, Thiess has partnered with Hear and Say in driving meaningful and lasting change for babies and children with hearing loss through numerous fundraising events and Hear to Learn.

It is fitting that the funding Thiess provides supports students in the regions where Thiess operates.

Each year, the School Screening Team visits schools across Central Queensland delivering hearing screenings that otherwise might not be easily accessible or require a long drive from home.

These trips ensure that regional children with hearing issues can be identified, receive the help they need, and aren’t left behind simply because of where they live.

“Being able to identify hearing loss early in the children we screen is the first step to giving them the best opportunity for development,” said Matthew Gee, Hearing Screener – Team Leader at Hear and Say.

“We really enjoy visiting the rural and regional towns to offer the screening service that may not be accessible to them otherwise. Geography should not limit a child’s ability to learn and live life to their fullest potential.”

Thanks to the funding provided by Thiess, 436 children in regional and rural Queensland have been screened across 18 schools this year so far.

Want to book a screening for your school?

If you would like to book your school or kindergarten for hearing screenings in 2024, visit our Hearing School Screening page or contact the friendly team on (07) 3850 2111.