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Specialist teachers play a vital role in developing deaf children’s communication, supporting classroom teachers in catering for a deaf child’s needs and advising on and checking hearing equipment. Just one in five of the children involved in the study had access to a specialist teacher. Parents described battles for this support even when it was included in their child’s statement of special educational needs.


The report also revealed an urgent need for awareness training among education professionals working with deaf children. Parents reported low levels of deaf awareness, even among teachers in special schools.


Examples included teachers leaving radios on in the background, and being unaware they should make sure the deaf child was looking at them when they were speaking. NDCS now wants deaf awareness training to be introduced as standard for all education professionals working with deaf children.


Good examples of educational support working well for deaf children with additional complex needs were cited by parents. They were keen to highlight where professionals were pro-active, coordinated and communicated well with other agencies supporting the child.


Particularly praised were education staff who took the reins in co-ordinating specialist support for the child, removing the burden from parents, and who consulted with and informed parents about the various specialist support the child was receiving at school.


NDCS has many resources for professionals working with deaf children. For more information contact the NDCS helpline on 0808 800 8880.


• Complex Needs, Complex Challenges can be downloaded free from the NDCS website at www.ndcs.org.uk/family_support/additional_and_complex_needs (scroll down to the bottom of the page).






Key findings from the NDCS report


• Schools, teachers and learning support assistants should be supported, advised and trained to work with deaf children.


• All children who are deaf, whether or not they have complex needs, should have access to a qualified teacher of the deaf appropriate to their deafness and not determined by any other need they may have, or by their educational establishment.


• Clear, regular communication between school and parents is essential.


• Teachers and other professionals should be willing and able to discuss future options for individual children.






Mary Dawson is Deputy Director of projects and services development at the National Deaf Children’s Society.

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