Secondary school in England
Choose a secondary school that's right for your deaf child.
This information is for deaf young people and families of deaf children in England. Read our information for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
With the right support, deaf children can succeed in any type of school. The school which works best for your child will depend on many different things, including:
- their level of deafness
- whether they have any additional needs
- whether you feel your child needs to be with other deaf children
- where you live.
You’ll also need to think about how your choice of school will work for you and your family.
Use this page to learn about different types of school and things to consider when making your choice.
Victoria uses British Sign Language (BSL), but Alice’s preferred method of communication is speech so we decided the oral route would be best for her.”
Linda-Jane is mum to seven children, including Victoria (16) who is moderately to severely deaf and Alice (13) who has progressive hearing loss. Victoria attends a specialist deaf school while Alice attends a mainstream secondary school.
Types of secondary school
There are 3 main types of school that your deaf child could benefit from. It’s important to think about which school will be best able to meet your child’s needs.
Mainstream schools
Mainstream schools cater for children of all abilities from the age of 5 to 16. All children have a right to attend a mainstream school unless placing them there would ‘prevent the efficient education of the other children in the school’ (for example, because of significant behavioural difficulties). It’s unlawful for a mainstream state school to refuse a place to a child on the grounds that it’s unable to meet the child’s special educational needs or disability (SEND).
Under the Equality Act 2010, all schools must make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for children who meet the definition of ‘disabled’. Reasonable adjustments are changes a school can make so that disabled students have the same opportunities as non-disabled people. Find out more about reasonable adjustments and your deaf child’s rights in school.
If your child needs specialised support to access their education in a mainstream school, they may need an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or SEND support plan. After a period of time, if it’s felt that more support is needed they may be assessed for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). This is a legal document which sets out your child’s needs and how they should be supported. Find out more about getting an EHCP.
Specialist bases in mainstream schools
Some state-funded mainstream schools have specialist bases for deaf children and young people. These are sometimes called resource provisions, hearing impairment bases or deaf support bases.
Resource provisions support deaf children to take part in mainstream classes, regardless of their communication approach and learning needs. They can also provide 1:1 or small group teaching from a Teacher of the Deaf (ToD), speech and language therapist, and deaf tutor.
Special schools
Special schools teach children and young people with SEND. These are pupils who may not be able to access the mainstream curriculum because of their learning needs or disability. Pupils will often be in a smaller class and have access to specialist teaching, equipment and staff.
Some special schools are for deaf children and young people specifically. Special schools for deaf children and young people are usually private (not state-funded). However, if a private specialist school is considered the best school to meet your child’s needs, and this is included in their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), the local authority should pay for this. Read about EHCPs.
Depending on the school and your child’s age, there could be the option to attend either as a day student or to board.
If you think you would like your child to go to a special school for deaf children, have a look at our list of special schools for deaf children.
Private schools
Children at non-specialist private schools (also known as independent schools) are not normally eligible for support from the local authority’s specialist education service for deaf children. This means they will not usually have support from a ToD unless the school buys this support from the local authority.
Private schools still need to meet your child’s needs and make the necessary reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010. You can find out more about your child's rights in education.
Moving to college at 14
In some areas, deaf young people may be able to move to college at 14. The Association of Colleges has more information about post-14 education directory of colleges that provide post-14 education.
Career Pilot has more information about post-14 options.
Starting your search
- Start your search early
- Search on the internet – look at each school’s website, order or download the prospectus, and contact the school for more information
- Read individual school inspection reports from Ofsted
- Ask other parents about schools in your area
- Ask your child’s ToD about schools in your area
Keep in mind when searching that even a school with a good report or one that’s been recommended may still not be the right school for your child.
Visiting schools
Most schools will have open days or evenings where parents can look around the school and ask questions. Visiting a school can give you a better picture of what the school is like and how it will suit your child. Keep an open mind and visit as many different types of schools as possible.
Take a checklist with you
Download and print our checklist:
Take it with you when visiting a school to collect key information.
The checklist includes questions to ask while visiting different schools. You won’t need to ask all the questions on the checklist – just pick out the questions which are important to you. Make sure to ask the same set of questions at each education setting to help you compare different schools.
Go with your child
Where possible, go to open days or school visits with your child. Ask them what they think about the school. What do they think about the building, teachers, and the general feeling the school gives them?
Meet with the special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo)
You may find it helpful to make an appointment to see the school’s SENCo. Discuss your child’s needs with them and ask how the school will be able to meet them.
Visit at different times of the day
Try to visit schools more than once and at different times of the day so you can see what the school is like in its normal setting.
- What is it like at lunch time or when students are moving between classrooms?
- What are the acoustics like?
- What adjustments might need to be made?
My first choice was to send her to a deaf school. I thought the school attached to her primary school, with a secondary base, was too big for her. After we visited the deaf school, she said, ‘Mum if you’re happy that’s fine, I’ll go to the school, but I don’t think I fit in here.’ She’s very determined in her decisions.”
Raqidha is mum to Zara (15) who is profoundly deaf. Zara goes to a mainstream secondary school with a specialist deaf base. When choosing a secondary school, Raqidha listened to Zara’s wishes.
Other things to consider
- Location of the school – how far will your child have to travel? Are they eligible for transport?
- What extra-curricular activities are on offer? Is the school able to make adjustments so that your child can participate fully?
- Are there any other deaf children currently studying at the school?
- How will the school meet your child’s social and emotional needs?
- If you’re considering a school with a specialist resource provision, check the qualifications of staff in the resource provision.
- How will this choice impact your family? Do you have older, hearing children at one secondary school, will choosing a different school for your deaf child make the morning drop-off more difficult? Will they need to become more independent, learning to travel to and from school by themselves?
Applying for a place
Each local authority or school will have its own admissions criteria and arrangements for applying. This should explain how you can choose a school, when you need to submit your application, and what to do if your first choice isn’t available. If you want to apply for a school outside your local authority area, you’ll need to check the admissions policy for the local authority of that school.
If your child has an EHCP, this will set out which school is considered best able to meet the needs of your child. The local authority must make sure your child is able to go to this school.
Appealing a school placement
If you’re not happy with the school placement your child has been given because you do not believe that the school can meet your child’s needs, you have the right to appeal. The way that you appeal will depend on whether your child has an EHCP or not.
Find out more about appealing school placements.
Full references for this webpage are available by emailing
informationteam@ndcs.org.uk