Hearing Impairment & Schools: What You Need To Know

There are over 45,000 deaf children in the UK, and around 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents. This means the majority of parents of children with hearing impairment have little to no experience of deafness until they are raising a deaf child.

Can deaf children go to mainstream schools?

Some mainstream schools have specialist provisions for deaf children. In some schools deaf children take part in mainstream classes and may have support from a communication support worker, teaching assistant or learning support assistant. In other schools deaf children may spend the majority of their time in a specialist unit for deaf children. All children have the right to attend a mainstream school if they want to.

Are there specialist schools for deaf children?

There are specialist schools for deaf children across the UK. They have specialist staff, techniques and equipment to help deaf children to learn. There are over 20 schools for deaf children in the UK. There are also residential schools. 

How many deaf children are in mainstream schools?

In the UK 77% of school-aged deaf children attend mainstream schools, and in many of these situations they may be the only deaf child in the school. Deafness is not a learning disability, so as long as teachers are able to communicate effectively with a deaf child, they are able to learn as well as any other child. Often a teaching assistant or other helper may be employed to take notes for a deaf student in lessons to help with this.