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The SEND review in England

Photo: Teacher and deaf pupils in a classroom

The Department for Education has published their SEND Improvement Plan.

This is their response to the review of special educational needs and disabilities support (the 'SEND review') that's been happening in England. 

Action on Teachers of the Deaf

There's some good news for deaf children. The plan commits to making sure there are enough Teachers of the Deaf, and to look at options to increase their numbers.

It also talks about a new apprenticeship pathway to train more specialist teachers of children with sensory impairment.

This could make a big difference. It means that schools and local authorities will be able to access government funding to train Teachers of the Deaf.

Our blog explains in more detail what the plan means for deaf children. 

This is a positive step in the right direction. But the apprenticeship won’t be ready before 2025. So urgent work is still needed to make sure deaf children get the specialist support they deserve in the meantime. 

Thank you for taking action

Together, we made sure the Government heard about what needs to change for deaf children and young people.

There was no mention of Teachers of the Deaf in the SEND review and now there is. 

Hundreds of you wrote to your MP and to the Government's SEND Review team to let them know about support for deaf children  and the urgent need to invest in more Teachers of the Deaf.

Together with more than 100 other organisations we also wrote an open letter to the Government to demand urgent action to plug the gap in specialist staff supporting children at school. Thanks to all of you who liked and shared the letter on social media. 

And thousands of you have signed our Young People's Advisory Board's (YAB) petition for deaf awareness — and Shikha and Juliet's letter for more Teachers of the Deaf.  

Your message is being heard, and you are making a difference. We’ll have more actions for you soon so join our campaigns network to stay in touch.

Thanks so much for your support!

More info

The Department for Education SEND Improvement Plan

Our response to the SEND review consultation