NDCS Press release
“In response to the Chancellor’s announcement to create 30,000 new places in mainstream and special educational needs schools for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, Mike Hobday, Director of Policy and Campaigns at the National Deaf Children’s Society, says:
“This extra investment by the Government is welcome and we hope it will help deaf children, but the fact remains that the Special Educational Needs system has been chronically under-funded for years. What’s more, parents of deaf children tell us that their children are being badly let down by a SEND system that isn’t supporting them to achieve the results they are capable of.
“We now urgently need more Teachers of the Deaf, as numbers have fallen by 15% since 2011. While the plan to build new specialist classrooms is helpful, bricks and mortar alone won’t ensure the next generation of deaf talent doesn’t fall by the wayside. We need investment in school support and specialist services.
“More apprenticeships and traineeships are a step in the right direction, but this move won’t reach those furthest away from the labour market, who need tailored support to get into employment. Schemes such as Access to Work and Jobcentre Plus are important in enabling young deaf people to find and sustain employment. Access to these schemes needs to be improved, and deaf young people need to be made aware of them whilst they are at school and college.”
