‘Urgent action’ required as Teachers of the Deaf numbers hit record low

Qualified Teachers of the Deaf (ToDs) working in a peripatetic (multi-school) role, resource provision or in a special school or college have fallen by 17% in England – according to new research which the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) says requires “urgent action”.

Last year’s data from the Consortium for Research into Deaf Education (CRIDE), published at the weekend, revealed there are 886 ToDs in employment with the mandatory qualification, compared to 1,062 ToDs in 2011.

The data also shows that 53% of peripatetic ToDs are aged 50 or over, and are therefore likely to retire in the next 10 to 15 years.

Mike Hobday, NDCS’ director of policy and campaigns, said: “Teachers of the deaf play an absolutely crucial role, but year after year they’ve been cut just to balance the books. 

“As a result, deaf children are left fighting for their futures and falling behind at every stage of school. 

“We need urgent action to fix this issue, but there’s no guarantee that more funding for schools will be enough to provide exactly what deaf pupils need.”

While the number of deaf children in England is now understood to be at least 45,000 – a reported decrease of 3% since 2019 – the number of resource provisions is believed to have fallen from 246 in 2019 to 237 in 2022.

NDCS have now renewed their calls for a Teacher of the Deaf bursary, costing £1.3 million pounds, to “make sure every deaf child gets the right support”.

Commenting on the CRIDE report, a Department for Education spokesperson told The Observer: “All children and young people, including those who are deaf or have a hearing impairment, should receive the support they need to succeed in their education.

“That’s why there is a legal requirement for teachers to hold relevant mandatory qualifications when teaching classes of pupils who have a sensory impairment.”

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.