Deaf Children Being Failed

Almost 10% of deaf children leave school with no qualifications, compared with less than 1% of their hearing peers.

Over 70 deaf young people from Fife and beyond will come together today to share their experiences.

Their feedback will then be fed back to councils and the Scottish Government to improve the education system.

The event will be the first of its kind, providing deaf young people with a unique opportunity to come together and discuss their school experiences. 

Heather Gray, Director at the National Deaf Children’s Society in Scotland, said: "Almost 10% of deaf young people leave school with no qualification compared with less than 1% of their hearing peers. The Deaf Learners Conference is a unique platform for the many talented and enthusiastic deaf young people from across Scotland to express their views about the ways in which their school experiences and opportunities for life can be improved. 

"We need to tackle the inequalities that affect this small and often overlooked group of learners. Deaf young people have a right to the same opportunities as their hearing peers and we must ensure their unique needs are being fully met so they can be ready to succeed when they leave school."

Lesley Brown, Strategic Director Families, Inclusion and Local Authorities at Education Scotland said: "Through inspection we have highlighted the very effective provision being made for deaf learners in most schools. Education Scotland welcomes the opportunity for young deaf learners to showcase their capacities as successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens. 

"Education Scotland is working with Scottish Government colleagues and NDCS to further close the achievement gap for deaf learners. We know that more and more deaf learners are succeeding, improving the levels of awards they gain and going to higher and further education. However we know that more needs to be done to focus on continuing to improve the outcomes for all deaf learners."

Alasdair Allan, Minister for Learning, said: "I am delighted that more than 70 deaf young people from across Scotland are expected to attend this conference. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about the school experiences of deaf young people, to identify the problems they may have faced in their learning and get their views and ideas on how we can make things better. Working together, I believe there is no reason we cannot create in Scotland an education system which lives up to our aspirations and unlocks the true potential of all pupils. To achieve that we need to raise attainment and achievement for every pupil and I am grateful to the young people coming to this conference for helping us learn from their experiences."