Canossian School for the Deaf started as a boarding school in 1956 at 1 Sallim Road, off Aljunied Road. Prior to that, it was known as Fatimah Home which also housed handicapped girls such as, the blind, spastic and retarded children. Later, the sisters realized that it was not advisable to have such a varied group of children with different disabilities under one roof. Hence, the handicapped girls were channelled to the respective institutions for their education. Only the girls who were hearing impaired remained.

In 1970, the school shifted to Jalan Merbok, catering only to girls with a hearing impairment. Within three years, the number of boarders increased significantly. The sisters decided to close the boarding school so as to allow both boys and girls with hearing impairment who needed education to be admitted into the school.

Total Communication, i.e.. the use of speech with sign language and finger spelling was used as the main mode of communication.

These years saw the addition of 5 classes and more lay teachers. Seven teachers were seconded by the Ministry of Education and 2 by the Singapore Association for the Deaf. Sr Anne Tan joined the school in 1980, after completing her 2-year training course in Australia.

Since the new premises lacked a hall and a staff room, an extension was added to the existing building. Work began in 1979 and it was completed in 1981. In the same year, the school celebrated its 25th Anniversary officiated by Mr Chan Kai Yau, then the Director of Education. The anniversary incidentally coincided with the International Year for the Disabled.

Sr Anne Tan became the next Principal upon the retirement of Sr Angela Garavaglia.

In the same year, the school changed its name from Canossian School for the Deaf to Canossian School for the Hearing Impaired (CSHI) to reflect our belief that a high percentage of deaf children has sufficient residual hearing to develop auditory skills and spoken language as the main mode of communication.

This is achieved through early detection of hearing loss and appropriate fitting of hearing aids. In addition, cochlear implant and auditory oral rehabilitation give pupils the opportunities to learn to listen and to develop spoken language (or develop both receptive and expressive languag).

Much time and money were spent on improving the auditory and speech skills of the children. Overseas trainers and consultants were recruited for the teachers’ training programmes. Contracts were made with a private audiologist to ensure that the children were accurately assessed and appropriately aided. The school replaced the existing hearing aids with better and more powerful ones.

With the introduction of this programme, the school launched into an integration programme for the tiny tots in the kindergarten.

From 1989, CSHI integrated all the pre-school hearing-impaired children into the regular kindergarten. Back-up support services were offered to teachers in the mainstream kindergarten to help cope with the presence of these children.

That same year, four hearing-impaired pupils from Canossian School for the Hearing Impaired were integrated into Bukit Batok Primary School after having successfully sat for their Primary Three Streaming Examination. The first batch of successful candidates did very well in the PSLE in 1992. They paved the way for further integration projects. Canossian School for the Hearing Impaired was constantly on the lookout for opportunities to integrate their pupils by seeking out mainstream schools which would accept them.

Due to the lack pf physical space at Bukit Batok Primary,three classes, Primary 1,2 and 5 were housed at St. Anthony’s Primary School. This was made possible through the kind understanding of the Principal, Mr. Michael Yong. During the three years that the pupils were at St Anthony's Primary School, one class was fully integrated with the support work from our teacher. The other two classes had partial integration i.e. they had their three main subjects, EMS (English, Mathematics and Science) with a teacher of the hearing impaired and they joined the mainstream classes for the non-academic subjects such as PE, Art and Craft and Music.

One pupil was fully integrated into a Primary 1 class at Canossa Convent Primary School.

Another group of 8 pupils from the different levels at Canossian School for the Hearing Impaired joined the mainstream classes at St. Anthony’s Convent Primary School at Bedok North Ave 4 with a support teacher from Canossian School for the Hearing Impaired.

Three were integrated into the Primary 1 class, 2 in Primary 2, 2 in Primary 4 and 1 in Primary 5.

In the same year, with a set-up of a comprehensive Audiological department and the recruitment of a qualified audiologist, Mrs. Julie Kosanner, the school embarked on a Cochlear Implant project in conjunction with Singapore General Hospital. The doctors of SGH did the surgery while Canossian School for the Hearing Impaired took on the responsibility of the Natural Audiology Oral rehabilitation. This includes the Pre and Post Cochlear Implant assessments, MAPping of pupil’s Implant, Parent Guidance and Educational Services.

In May, the school was relocated to its original site, at Sallim Road, with the construction of a new purposed-built building within the premises of 4 other educational sectors. The whole complex is coined as the Canossian Eduplex.

Within the Eduplex, our hearing impaired pupils have more opportunities for integration at all levels- Formal and informal; partial and full. Pupils with better academic ability and independent skills are inserted fully into the regular Preschool and Primary classes at Magdalene’s Kindergarten and Canossa Convent Primary School respectively, with back-up tutorial and technical support from staff of Canossian School for the Hearing Impaired.

Sr Geraldine Lim took over as Principal upon the retirement of Sr Anne Tan.

On 1st August, 2002

Ms Joan Chua took over as the first lay Principal when Sr Geraldine Lim stepped down.

2003

In January, full integration for all pre-schoolers in Magdalene's Kindergarten.
Three boys were integrated into Secondary One in Monfort Secondary School.

1st May, Canossian School for the Hearing Impaired changed its name to Canossian School.

In July, CSH with the National Institute of Education jointly organized a two-year Advanced Diploma in the NAO Course for the teachers.

Introduction of a variety of Co-Curricula Activities.

On 15th August, 2005

Mrs Marcia Yong took over as the Principal when Ms Joan Chua stepped down.