Deaf children 'will fall behind' if there isn't more investment in specialist teachers, says mum

Deaf children are at risk of falling behind if the number of specialist teachers continues to fall, says a mum of two deaf children.

Ros Hannam, from Caldicot, has launched a campaign calling for more investment in the kind of specialist teachers who have helped her and her family.

She told ITV Wales: "Having a Teacher of the Deaf gave us a contact, it gave us someone we could always rely on to check in, ask questions with and be supported by."

The number of Teachers of the Deaf has fallen significantly since 2011 and it is expected that they will continue to fall in the years to come.

Mrs Hannam said: "The thought of losing our teacher of the deaf is a really scary one because without their support we'll be completely on our own."

  • Ros Hannam's children, Lola and Rudi, are both deaf. They both receive support from a Teacher of the Deaf.

The Welsh Government has invested more than £250,000 in "teachers of learners with sensory impairment" and says it is "committed to developing the skills of the education workforce".

What is a Teacher of the Deaf?

Teachers of the Deaf (ToD) are qualified teachers, who go on to study for another two years to become qualified in deaf education.

There are only a handful of universities across the UK which provide the specialist training to become a ToD.

  • Hazel Badjie is the Head of Policy and Influence for the National Deaf Children Society.

Hazel Badjie from the National Deaf Children Society says that since 2011 the number of Teachers of the Deaf has fallen by 20%, one in five teachers. It is expected that in the next 10 years, 1 in 3 teachers will retire.

"If no further action is taken, it will get to a point where there are no Teachers of the Deaf left, so deaf children will be left unsupported," says Hazel.

"We want to see more Teachers of the Deaf trained, and equally we want to see the budgets for the services that Teachers of the Deaf work in.

"We want to see those budgets able to employ Teachers of the Deaf.

"We've seen budgets which are static or budgets have just not been able to cover vacancies."

The Welsh Government says it is committed to supporting all learners so that they can "access a high standard of education and reach their full potential".

It added that it has been "working to support students with additional learning needs over the last five years."

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