Advocating in school

This information is for deaf young people and families of deaf children in England. Read our information for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Starting school or moving to a new school can be a big change for deaf children, young people and their wider families. There may be times when parents need to advocate for their children so their school knows how to support and include them in their education. Deaf young people may need to advocate for themselves as they get older.

Knowing your legal rights can help. Sometimes, just showing that you’re aware of your rights can make advocating easier and help solve problems.

It doesn’t come naturally to me to be a pushy parent, or to challenge professionals, but we knew something wasn’t right, deep in our guts, and we needed to be Sybil’s voice. Knowing we were doing this for her pushed us on, and when it came to choosing Sybil’s education, we had to draw on our experience of advocating for her to ensure she was getting the right support. We felt that she would be best placed in our local mainstream school.” 

Holly is mum to Sybil (5), who is profoundly deaf and wears cochlear implants.

Deaf awareness 

Some schools have limited or no experience of deafness. It can help to raise deaf awareness. You can help raise deaf awareness by: 

• talking to teachers and classroom assistants about deafness and communication preferences

• handing out deaf awareness resources 

• asking a teacher or school if you could do a presentation on deaf awareness for a class or staff. 

Here are some deaf-friendly communication tips you could share. 

If you're a parent of a deaf child or young person, discuss with them what information will be shared with their teacher. They may not want to be singled out, or they may prefer to do this themselves. Ask them how they’d like to raise deaf awareness in their school and if they want help from you or a teacher. 

My advice to other families would be to contact your child’s form tutor. Encourage them to work out a solution with your child that doesn’t involve singling them out. You can also ask your child’s Teacher of the Deaf (ToD) to provide deaf awareness training to the school.”

Tabassum is mum to Moji (13) who’s moderately to severely deaf.

Parents and carers working with staff 

You’re the expert when it comes to your child and their deafness as a parent or carer. 

Helping school staff understand your child's needs is an ongoing effort. Parents and carers, teachers and other education professionals will need to work together. Building relationships with these professionals helps keep a line of communication open. 

Before starting at a new school or at the start of a new school year, you might like to: 

• arrange to chat with a small group of teachers to discuss goals and any general questions you may have 

• ask the teacher about the best way to keep in touch once the year has started 

• ask for the contact details of a key person you can contact with concerns or for further information on progress. 

Once the school year starts, you can ask staff for regular progress updates to make sure your child is keeping up with their hearing peers. You could ask for updates on: 

• your child’s progress and planned learning outcomes 

• development of social skills and friendships 

• how your child uses the hearing technology during the day and any issues 

• topics your child will be learning and how you can support their learning at home. 

The school is very receptive, I have sometimes emailed them information from the National Deaf Children’s Society Helpline, such as tips on acoustics, and her teachers do deaf awareness training.” 

Tanya is mum to Honor (7) who has a mild hearing loss. 

Getting support 

Schools can be noisy, busy places which can make it harder for deaf children and young people to access learning. It’s important for staff not to make assumptions and to consider each child individually. You may need to remind them of this and speak out to get additional support. 

We know that this can be difficult, but there is support available to help you advocate in education. 

His teachers don’t realise how important the radio aid is. I asked our ToD for a one-page summary about deafness to share with Moji’s special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo). Moji’s a bright kid and he’s pretty self-sufficient. He gets on with things, sits at the front of the class and does his work, so his teachers might not notice his deafness," says Tabassum. 

If you're concerned about education or advocating for the support needed, contact our Helpline. 

It was worth the battle. She’s a different girl, never tired or cranky. She goes to after-school clubs, is happier and has made friends. It’s hard to be assertive if you’re not sure what you’re asking for is right. The National Deaf Children’s Society empowered me.” 

Esther is mum to Brocha (6) who is moderately deaf. Esther had to repeatedly ask for a radio aid system for her daughter.