Dunedin educationist and project leader Dr Denise Powell said five more pupils had joined Halfway Bush this year, and the aim was to create a critical mass of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) learners.
"Being with kids who are ‘just like me’ is incredibly powerful and helps develop a sense of identity and belonging," Dr Powell said.
The new approach, including more DHH pupils than usual in the mainstreamed classes, meant the "glass walls" of isolation and misunderstanding were overcome.
Links were strengthened and hearing pupils also enjoyed learning to communicate by sign language, she said.
Hearing pupil Charlee Pocklington said that the new approach was "great".
Dr Powell said the increased connectedness arising from more DHH learners was "very obvious" from the recent start of the initiative.
The Beacon School move was a first in New Zealand and Halfway Bush was chosen for several reasons, including because the school’s leadership team was "excited and motivated" to participate.
The school’s deaf awareness meant learners could "use their energy to be themselves, and focus on learning" rather than wondering if they had misunderstood.
Dr Powell chairs the board of Ko Taku Reo Deaf Education New Zealand, the country’s national provider of deaf and hard of hearing services.
The body’s executive principal, James Le Marquand, said that the Dunedin approach could be copied elsewhere in the country.
School principal Brian Filipo said the changes meant a "wonderful experience for all of our children".
