DEAF children in the North-East are 18 per cent less likely to get five GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and Maths, according to Government statistics.
With thousands receiving their results this week, the National Deaf Children’s Society is urging the Government, local authorities and health bodies to acknowledge this issue and provide the support needed to close the gap between deaf children and their hearing friends.
Jo Campion, deputy director of policy and campaigns at charity, said: “It’s clear that deaf children are being failed.
“The NHS newborn hearing screening programme has been in action for ten years and that should mean that deaf children and their families get the support they need right from the start. But a decade on, that’s still not happening.
“If a child is identified early as being deaf and receives good quality support in their early years, there is no reason that deaf children shouldn’t achieve the same as hearing children.”
The figures are taken from School Census, published by Department for Education.
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