Campaign victory for NDCS as MSPs vote for better data collection on deaf pupils

NDCS Scotland is today celebrating following a debate in the Scottish Parliament which saw MSPs voting to change education law in Scotland by requiring Scottish Ministers to collect and publish better information on deaf pupils in Scottish schools.

As a result of NDCS Scotland's sustained lobbying on the Additional Support for Learning Amendment Bill, which was passed by the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 20th May, MSPs voted in favour of collecting information on all children with additional support for learning needs attending Scottish schools, and not only those who have a Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP) or an Individualised Education Plan (IEP) in place, as is the current case. 

NDCS Scotland's Pick a Number campaign, launched in September 2008, highlighted that the annual school pupil census, Pupils in Scotland, only recorded 905 deaf children in Scotland in 2007.  We estimate that there are at least 1800 deaf pupils in Scotland, and identified the reason for the shortfall as being only those deaf pupils with a CSP or an IEP were being officially recorded.

We have recently published further information, obtained from 18 of a possible 32 local authorities in Scotland, which shows that whereas education departments are aware of 1307 deaf pupils in those areas, only 239 of them had a CSP or an IEP.

Research also recently published by the University of Edinburgh has highlighted serious under-reporting of the number of deaf pupils in Scotland.

Along with other partner organisations, most notably For Scotland's Disabled Children, NDCS successfully campaigned on behalf of deaf children and their families in Scotland for better data collection in order to help local authorities better plan the services they provide to deaf pupils on the basis of actual need, and to help the Scottish Government monitor the quality of this service.

As a result of Wednesday's vote, Scottish Ministers will now annually collect and publish information from local authorities on the number of children with additional needs, the principal factors giving rise to their needs, the type of support being provided to them - whether this is a CSP, IEP or other form of plan, and will report to the Scottish Parliament every year for the next five years on the progress being made in providing this information.

More information:

Pick a Number Snapshot Report - Deaf Children in Scotland 2008 (950 kb)