Almost nine in 10 teachers say their training has not enabled them to support pupils who are deaf, a new study shows.
In a poll of 5,332 primary and secondary school teachers, carried out by the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS), 86 per cent of respondents said their training had not given them enough information to meet deaf pupils’ needs.
The charity said the research revealed “shocking shortfalls” in teacher training and called for this problem to be addressed in the government’s upcoming special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) review.
In secondary schools, the proportion who said their training had not enabled them to support deaf pupils was 84 per cent - but the figure was even higher in primary schools (89 per cent), which the NDCS said raised concerns about how deaf pupils were supported in key early development years.
Teacher training ‘gaps’ on support for deaf pupils
In the survey, 83 per cent of teachers aged 50 and over said that their teacher training was inadequate for teaching deaf children.
And 86 per cent of teachers in their twenties said the same.
There are around 33,000 deaf children in schools across England, and the vast majority (84 per cent) are in mainstream schools.
A third of deaf pupils achieve at least two A levels or equivalent, compared with more than half of hearing children.
The NDCS said that the government’s upcoming SEND review should advise that deaf awareness be included in all initial teacher training (ITT) going forward.
The charity is calling for training that gives teachers a basic understanding of how to support deaf pupils, as well as knowledge about who to turn to for more specialist advice to ensure that pupils do not fall behind.
Mike Hobday, director of policy and campaigns at the NDCS, said teachers had presented the charity with “irrefutable proof that the current system prevents them from helping deaf children reach their potential”.
“We already know that seven in 10 teachers don’t feel confident in educating deaf children, and, given the shocking shortfalls in their training, it’s no wonder why,” he said.
Mr Hobday said the government must use the SEND review to adapt ITT to take deaf pupils into account, and also ensure that teachers are able to access further specialist advice from Teachers of the Deaf when they need it.
“We all know the difference that an inspiring and knowledgeable teacher can make. Deaf students have just as much right to benefit from these teachers as their hearing classmates,” he added.
The long-anticipated SEND review is expected by the end of this month.
