Close the gap - attainment campaign

Many deaf children across the UK are under achieving in schools.

Deafness is not a learning disability, and there is no reason why, with the right level of support, the majority of deaf children should not do as well in school as their hearing peers. That is why we want the governments in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to commit to closing the gap between deaf children and their hearing peers.

Over the next year, NDCS will be campaigning on this important issue throughout the UK.

Click to view a summary of NDCS's attainment campaign presented as subtitled BSL video clips. 

NDCS has launched a UK-wide campaign report, Must do better!, which sets out the barriers that are holding deaf children back from fulfilling their potential.

With deaf children in England 42% less likely to get 5 GCSEs at grades A to C than their peers, and with similiar attainment gaps in other parts of the UK, the report sets out a dozen recommendations for government action to close the gap.

Our campaign to close the attainment gap is getting noticed by key decision-makers across the country.  

• In June 2008, NDCS launched its UK-wide campaign report on the barriers holding deaf children back outside the Houses of Parliament in London.  
• At Westminster, an early day motion on educational underachievement by deaf children in the House of Commons, has now been signed by over 100 MPs from all of the main parties.
• Legislation that would require the the Department for Children, Schools and Families in England to collect and publish more data on how children with special educational needs do in school is now set to become law. Many MPs have remarked on the importance of the legislation for deaf children in the House of Commons.
• In Scotland, as a result of our lobbying, the Scottish Government Minister for Children and Young People, Adam Ingram MSP, met with NDCS Scotland in February 2008 to discuss the attainment of deaf pupils.

New action!
Write to your MP to ask him or her to lobby the Department for Children, Schools and Families on what they are doing to close the gap for deaf children.

In late 2007 / early 2008, we asked parents to give us their views on their deaf child's education. Over 350 parents responded to our survey. We would like to thank everyone who took the time to feed in their views. Read our summary of the results to find out what parents thought.

NDCS survey on educational attainment - results (98 kb)

Download our most recent briefing note to MPs for background on why the government needs to commit to closing the gap between deaf children and their hearing peers.

Please note that this briefing addresses educational under achievement by deaf children in England only. Information about Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be available on this website soon.

20080623 NDCS briefing on educational under achievement by deaf children in England (90 kb)

Learn about the draft legislation, known as the Special Educational Needs (Information) Bill, that will require Westminster to collect and publish more information about children with special educational needs.

Briefing on the Special Educational Needs (Information) Bill (77 kb)

Parents of deaf children from across the UK often contact NDCS with stories of difficulties they have faced with ensuring their deaf children are able to meet their full potential. One parent said:

"I feel that the education system is lacking for deaf children. Teachers are often unsure of how to ‘teach’ a deaf child, often leaving them to their own resources."

Case studies like these help NDCS to demonstrate to the government the case for action to close the attainment gap.

To support our campaign, NDCS has been asking children across the UK to draw images of what they want to be when they grow up.

View the gallery >

We also asked children from Frank Barnes school for the deaf to tell us what they want to be when they grow up.

View the video >

This video and these images will be used to show the government that deaf children have the same range of aspirations and ambitions as all other children and we would like to thank all those who sent in their images or told us what they want to be when they grow up.

If you have any questions about the campaign in your area, or if you would like to tell us about your experiences, please get in touch. 

Policy and Campaigns Officer (UK / England) - ian.noon@ndcs.org.uk

Policy and Campaigns Officer (Scotland) - jan.savage@ndcs.org.uk

Policy and Campaigns Officer (Wales) - kate.latimir@ndcs.org.uk

Director of NDCS Northern Ireland - alan.sheeran@ndcs.org.uk