The National Deaf Children’s Society is demanding urgent investment in specialist teaching staff for deaf children after new figures revealed a third aren’t receiving crucial support from specialist staff.
The survey conducted by the charity found that 68% of teachers aren’t confident they can teach deaf children effectively and deaf children already achieve an entire grade less at GCSE, even though for a lot of children deafness isn’t a learning disability.
In the poll of 5,332 primary and secondary school teachers, almost all respondents (96%) said if they were teaching a deaf pupil, they’d need ongoing support from someone with expert knowledge, such as a Teacher of the Deaf. However, more than a third (37%) had received no such support.
There are currently around 35,000 deaf children in schools across England, the vast majority of whom attend mainstream schools.
The National Deaf Children’s Society said the findings should shock those responsible for funding deaf education “to their core” and were yet more evidence that the system is simply not equipped to provide for deaf students.
It says investment must focus on Teachers of the Deaf, who play an instrumental role in deaf children’s lives but have been cut by 15% since 2011.
Susan Daniels OBE, Chief Executive at the National Deaf Children’s Society, said: “Tens of thousands of deaf children are walking into classrooms across England with a two in three chance that their teacher will not know how to educate them effectively. This should shock everyone responsible for funding deaf education to their core.
“Teachers are battling incredible pressures every day and they can’t be specialists in every disability, so it’s crucial they get the expert knowledge and support they need. All too often, this simply isn’t being delivered.
“The Government has frequently spoken of record investment in special needs education, but clearly far too little is reaching the deaf children who desperately need it. The upcoming SEND review is the perfect opportunity to right this injustice. By investing in more specialist support immediately, we can give an entire generation of deaf children the chance to reach their potential.”
