Additional support in England
Extra support in education for deaf children and young people in England.
This information is for deaf young people and families of deaf children in England. Read our information for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
An explanation of how schools support children and young people with SEND in England (BSL).
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Most children and young people will need some extra help at school at some point in their education. For deaf children and young people, getting the right additional support in place will give them the best start to their education.
For many deaf children and young people of school age, their school will be able to provide this support. Some may need a formal statement which legally sets out the support they need and how it must be provided.
The type of support available for deaf children and young people will depend on:
- the type of school they’re attending or are planning to attend (for example, a mainstream school vs a special school)
- their support needs in school
Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
Children and young people with a disability or learning difficulty which means they need extra or specialised support to access their education have SEND. For example, a deaf child may need speech and language therapy. A deaf young person may need a radio aid to hear the teacher.
Not all deaf children and young people have SEND. In England, around 40% of deaf children are not formally identified as having SEND.
Schools are responsible for identifying and supporting children with SEND. Once a child or young person is identified as having SEND, the school must take action. They must act to remove barriers to learning and put effective support in place.
If you think your child has SEND, talk to a teacher or the school principal. The school may connect you with their special educational needs coordinator (SENCo).
The SENCo can discuss:
- special educational needs in more detail
- the support available within the school
- how to get additional support if needed
Read about SEND and the code of practice.
SEND support in school
Some deaf children and young people may need a formal plan called a SEND support plan. SEND support plans set out what support they need and how this will be provided.
Schools usually provide SEND support as part of a 4-part cycle known as ‘assess, plan, do and review’. In this cycle, teachers:
- use the information they have gathered about your child’s needs (assess)
- plan the provision they will put into place to support them (plan)
- put the provision in place (do)
- review how effective it was (review)
Most deaf children and young people’s needs can be met from within the school’s own resources, with additional support from their local authority’s sensory service. In some cases, there may be no need to go beyond the SEND support stage.
If a school can't provide enough support themselves, there are steps you can take. You or the school can ask for a formal assessment of their education, health and care (EHC) needs. An EHC assessment may lead to an EHCP.
An explanation of EHCPs in BSL.
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Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)
An EHCP is a legal document which sets out:
- what your child’s needs are
- what support they should receive
- where they should go to school.
An EHCP is usually only needed if a school can't provide, or is unlikely to be able to provide, the support needed. This applies if a child or young person is already attending a school or if they're planning to attend a school. To attend a special school, most children will need an EHCP.
Children with SEND do not have an automatic right to an EHCP. To get an EHCP, a statutory assessment is needed.
Statutory needs assessment
To get an EHCP, a child or young person must have a statutory needs assessment. The local authority will carry out this assessment to identify a child’s needs and whether they need an EHCP. The local authority must inform you of their decision to carry out an assessment or not within 6 weeks.
During the assessment, the local authority will consult:
- the child or young person
- parents or carers
- a qualified Teacher of the Deaf (ToD)
If the local authority decides to issue an EHCP, they must provide the final plan within 20 weeks of receiving the request. In some cases, the local authority decides not to issue an EHCP. They must give this decision within 16 weeks of receiving the request.
Read our factsheets for more information about EHC needs assessments and EHCPs.
Personal Budgets
A SEND Personal Budget is an amount of money that the local authority has identified as being needed to deliver the support outlined in an EHCP.
You can ask your local authority to give you some or all of the Personal Budget as a direct payment. This is so that you can arrange support yourself, however you think best, as long as the money is spent on support identified in the EHCP.
Your local authority should give details of SEND support that could be delivered through a SEND Personal Budget in their Local Offer. You can find your local authority’s Local Offer on their website.
A Personal Budget could pay for support such as:
- specialist equipment such as fire alerting systems or radio aids
- speech and language therapy
- communication support such as sign language interpreters or speech-to-text reporters
- British Sign Language (BSL) tuition
- short breaks
Read more about:
Funding for schools
There is a notional budget for mainstream schools. This budget allocates £6,000 to provide additional support per student with SEN.
The notional budget may not always cover the additional support a student requires. There is some additional funding available, called High Needs or Top Up funding. High Needs and Top Up funding which often comes through an EHCP.
A school must prove they have spent the £6,000 notional budget on a student before requesting further funding.
Education Otherwise than at School (EOTAS)
In some cases, attending an education setting is not appropriate for a child or young person. Those with EHCPs can still receive special educational provision at home and in other settings. This is called Education Otherwise than at School or EOTAS.
Annual reviews of EHCPs
EHCPs are reviewed every year at a review meeting. Annual reviews are in place to make sure that an EHCP is still providing the right support.
Appealing a decision about an EHCP
You have the right to appeal:
- the content of an EHCP
- the local authority refusing to carry out a statutory assessment.
You can appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (GOV.UK).
Before you can appeal, you must contact the mediation service. The mediation service details can be found in the local authority's decision letter. You don’t have to go ahead with the mediation. However, you must contact the service before appealing, even if it’s just to say you don’t want mediation.
You don’t need to make a formal complaint before you appeal to the Tribunal, but strict time limits apply. Usually, you must make your appeal within 2 months of the local authority’s decision.
Useful resources
Full references for this webpage are available by emailing
informationteam@ndcs.org.uk