Teachers need more support and training, NDCS says

NDCS is calling for action to improve the capacity of schools and teachers to work with deaf children, in a further submission to the Lamb inquiry into parental confidence in the special educational needs (SEN) system.

In the paper, NDCS proposes that the capacity of the school and teachers to support deaf children should be assessed before a deaf child enters their classroom, and some teachers be entitled to further support and training to make sure they can meet the child's needs. The paper suggests a pilot to test the practical implications of this proposal.

The ability of mainstream teachers to effectively support deaf children was cited as a barrier to progress by deaf children in the NDCS Must do better! campaign report on education. In a survey for the report, one in four parents of deaf children said that they felt that the deaf awareness of their child's teachers was not good.

The Lamb inquiry is expected to publish its final report this autumn, following a series of interim reports published earlier this year.

More information:

NDCS submission to Lamb Inquiry: Developing the capacity of schools and teacher confidence, knowledge and skills (August 2009) (63 kb)

Must do better!: NDCS campaign report on barriers to achievement by deaf children (1842 kb)

The Lamb inquiry (external website)