Close the Gap

Too many deaf children across the UK are under achieving in schools, compared to their hearing peers. We need to close the gap.

Do you live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland? Click on your country to find out what we're doing in your area on education. 

As part of the Close the Gap campaign, NDCS is campaigning for schools that sound good. Find out more >

Contact your MP to get their support for our Sounds good?campaign to ensure every deaf child is able to listen and learn effectively in the classroom.

You can also support the campaign by telling us about your child's experiences.

NDCS's UK-wide campaign report, Must do better!, set out the barriers that are holding deaf children back and recommendations for Government action. 

Download the report below or read a summary.

25 June 2009
The Government has announced £800,000 of investment for a project to improve support for deaf children who use British Sign Language.
Read more >

28 May 2009
New government figures have been published suggesting that the gap in achievement between deaf children and all children has widened in the last year. 
Read more >

26 March 2009
MPs have been pressing the Government to ensure Ofsted inspectors are deaf aware. 
Read more > 

27 January 2009
NDCS has issued a warning over the teaching of literacy through phonics. 
Read more >

6 January 2009
A Government report on communication has resulted in an important campaign win for NDCS on better data.
Read more >

27 November 2008
One in four MPs have signed parliamentary petitions calling on the Government to close the gap.
Read more >

24 June 2008
Local deaf children helped to launch the Must do better! campaign report outside the Houses of Parliament in London.
Read more >

• NDCS has published spreadsheets and analysis of the government figures on deaf children's achievements at school. Read more >
• In late 2007/early 2008, we asked parents to give us their views on their deaf child's education. 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 on why the Government needs to commit to closing the gap between deaf children and their hearing peers.
  NDCS briefing on educational under achievement by deaf children in England (July 2008) (90 kb)
• Read about the experiences of families of deaf children for examples of why urgent action is needed to close the attainment gap. Read more >
• To support our campaign, NDCS asked children across the UK to draw images of what they want to be when they grow up. View gallery >

• Children from Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children in London were also asked to tell us what they want to be when they grow up.
  View video >

• Click to view a summary of NDCS's attainment campaign presented as a subtitled British Sign Language (BSL) video clip. 

Got any questions? Want to tell us about your experiences?

Email campaigns@ndcs.org.uk or leave a comment at the bottom of this page. 

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