Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) stop the long-term decline in the number of deaf teachers and (b) increase the ratio of deaf children to teachers in (i) Erith and Thamesmead constituency and (ii) the rest of the UK..

On 2 March 2023, the department published the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan in response to the Green Paper published in March last year. The Plan outlines the government’s mission for the SEND and AP system to fulfil children’s potential, including those with sensory impairment.

As stated in the Improvement Plan, the department has developed a new approval process to determine providers of Mandatory Qualifications in Sensory Impairment (MQSI) from the start of the 2023/24 academic year. This is to support the supply of teachers with an MQSI.

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) is also developing an apprenticeship for teachers of sensory impairment. IfATE is working with universities, local authorities, and sector representatives, including the National Deaf Children’s Society, the Royal National Institute of Blind People, and the British Association of Teachers of Deaf Children and Young People to develop the qualification and expects it to be available from 2025.

The department is exploring further options to maximise take up of MQSIs with a view to improving the supply of teachers for children with sensory impairments.