Government figures released in December show that a disproportionate number of deaf children are failing to meet expected standards in maths and English by the time they leave primary school.
The latest Department for Education (DfE) statistics on Key Stage 2 attainment by different pupil characteristics, including SEN, show that 47 per cent of deaf children are not achieving the expected level of achievement for English at the age of eleven, compared to just seven per cent of children with no SEN. Nearly 45 per cent of deaf children are also not meeting expected standards for Key Stage 2 maths, as opposed to just nine per cent of those without identified SEN.
The majority of deaf children are not eligible for the Government’s new pupil premium, which is allocated according to economic criteria, and the charity the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) has called for urgent action to protect services for deaf children and ensure that these children are given a fair chance at school. The NDCS has urged the Government and local authorities to ensure adequate funding is in place to help deaf children.
The latest DfE statistics on Key Stage 2 can be found at:
www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000972
For an in-depth article on how to ensure that deaf pupils fulfil their potential by Brian Gale, Director of Policy and Campaigns at the NDCS, see the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of SEN Magazine.
