Kirsty calls for action to close the gap in attainment between deaf children and their hearing peers (Kirsty Williams AM )

Cymraeg
English

Kirsty Williams AM <info@kirstywilliams.org.uk>

Kirsty calls for action to close the gap in attainment between deaf children and their hearing peers

November 5, 2009 12:00 AM

Kirsty Williams AM for Brecon and Radnorshire, has offered support to a campaign to improve the life chances of deaf children and young people in Wales.

Kirsty Williams, AM has signed a Statement of Opinion, calling on the Welsh Assembly Government to take action to close the gap in attainment between deaf children and their hearing peers. The Statement of Opinion was tabled by Ann Jones AM, as Chair of the Welsh Assembly's All Party Group on Deaf Issues.

The National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) Cymru, recently published data on the attainment levels of deaf children and young deaf people in Wales. The data revealed that deaf children and young people are underachieving at every key stage in their education:

In 2008, deaf pupils in Wales were 30% less likely to achieve 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C than their hearing peers (1).

The data compares the attainment levels of deaf children, who have no other special educational needs, to the attainment levels of hearing children, who have no special educational needs. Deafness is not a learning disability and there is no reason why deaf children should not achieve the same as their hearing peers - as long as they are given the right support.

NDCS Cymru recognises that much hard work is being done to support deaf children and young people in their studies. However, the charity has identified a number of barriers which are preventing many deaf children and young people from reaching their full potential. These barriers include:

Poor acoustics in schools

Post code lottery in service provision

Lack of deaf awareness

Kirsty Williams said: "I am happy to be able to add my name to this important campaign. It is essential that we act now to ensure that deaf children and young people throughout Wales are given the best support and learning environment, enabling them to reach their full potential."

The data covers deaf children who are on School Action, School Action Plus, and in receipt of a Statement. Due to the way in which data is collected, it covers some, but not all, deaf children who do not receive specialist support. Therefore, NDCS Cymru continues to campaign for more robust data on the attainment of all deaf children.

NDCS is the national charity dedicated to creating a world without barriers for deaf children and young people. We represent the interests and campaign for the rights of all deaf children and young people from birth to independence. NDCS represents children with a range of hearing loss, including mild, moderate, severe, profound, unilateral and temporary hearing loss.

For more information, interviews, or details of case studies, please contact Debbie Green, Policy and Campaigns Officer for Wales, on 029 20373474, or email debbie.green@ndcs.org.uk.

Notes

Key statistics

Attainment gap 2006-2008

Key Stage 1: 27%

Key Stage 2: 37%

Key Stage 3: 38%

GCSE: 24%

(any 5 subjects at A*-C)

GCSE: 30%

(core subjects)

Attainment gap in 2008

Key Stage 1: 21%

Key Stage 2: 25%

Key Stage 3: 41%

GCSE: 30%

(any 5 subjects at A*- C)

GCSE: 27%

(core subjects)

The above statistics illustrate the relative gap in attainment between deaf children and their hearing peers. The figures demonstrate how much less likely it is that deaf children will achieve as well as their hearing peers.

The figures for Key Stages 1-3 relate to achieving the benchmark level in English/Welsh, Maths and Science (combined).

NDCS Cymru has calculated these attainment gaps from data provided by the Welsh Assembly Government's School Statistics Branch. The data is obtained from information entered into PLASC.