Progress 8 highlights failure in deaf children’s education

With new Department for Education figures highlighting the attainment gap between deaf and hearing children, we're concerned that a recruitment crisis will further undermine deaf children’s education.

Data published today shows just 41.3% of deaf children in England achieving good GCSEs, compared to 63.9% of their hearing peers [1]. The new Progress 8 measure also shows that deaf children not only start school at a disadvantage, but fall even further behind their hearing peers as they move through secondary school [2].

These figures come at a time when fully qualified Teachers of the Deaf are increasingly scarce (numbers have fallen by 6% in a year) and more than half the workforce is due to retire soon. Many local authorities are not training new Teachers of the Deaf, leaving services across the country unable to recruit.

We're calling on the Department for Education to take action to address the looming recruitment crisis, by setting up a central bursary fund and requiring local authorities to regionally commission training places. 

Brian Gale OBE, Director of Policy and Campaigns, said: “It’s deeply concerning that deaf children are not making the progress they should be during secondary school. Deafness is not a learning disability; there is no reason why deaf children can’t achieve the same things as their hearing friends, given the right support.

“Most deaf children attend mainstream schools, so the specialist advice of Teachers of the Deaf is vital to ensuring deaf children achieve their potential. Today’s figures will be of great concern to parents whose children rely on Teachers of the Deaf.”

 

[1] ‘Good’ in this instance means five GCSEs (inc. English and Maths) at grades A* to C. Department for Education (DfE) 2015-16 data shows 41.3% of deaf children achieving five GCSEs (inc. English & Maths) at A*-C grade, compared with 63.9% of children with no identified special educational need. 

[2] Progress 8 (average progress of children from KS3-4) shows deaf children at -0.05 points, meaning they are making less progress than their peers, whilst children with no identified special educational need are at 0.06 points meaning they are making better progress than expected.