Educational support for Deaf children in England ‘in disarray’

We were concerned to see a recent Guardian report about the current state of Deaf education in England.

It revealed that a diminishing number of specialist teachers is struggling to meet growing demand among England’s 45,000 Deaf children.

A Consortium for Research into Deaf Education reveals that Deaf teacher numbers have been slashed by 14% over the past seven years, while the number of children needing support has increased by nearly a third (31%).

In some areas of the country, the severity of the situation means there is just a single specialist teacher for every hundred pupils needing help. What’s more, with many teachers nearing retirement, things are only likely to worsen.

The National Deaf Children’s Society says: “A whole generation of deaf children will have their futures decimated if the government doesn’t act before it’s too late.”

The report, which surveyed almost every authority in England, found more than a quarter of services have one specialist teacher for every 80 students, and in 15% of services there was one teacher for more than 100 pupils.

(Written by Juliet England [email protected])