Salford deaf service cuts 'among worst seen'
Joe Lepper
Monday, January 23, 2012
Planned cuts to deaf children's services in Salford have been branded "among the worst seen" by disability campaigners.
The National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) said plans to halve the number of specialist teacher of the deaf posts to just one full-time and one part-time are taking support away from some of the area’s most vulnerable children.
The council is also considering plans to cut its three full-time and two part-time specialist teaching assistant posts to just two.
Jo Campion, deputy director of campaigns at NDCS, which is supporting a local parent-led campaign against the cuts, said: "We are absolutely appalled that the council is considering taking away support from a group of children who need more support, not less, and are calling on the council to immediately halt its plans.
"The cuts that Salford City Council is planning to make are some of the worst that we have seen in the country."
She added that deaf children in the region are falling behind at school, with 65 per cent in the North West failing to achieve at least five good GCSE results.
Parent group Salford Deaf Children’s Society said 240 deaf children rely on specialist education support in the area.
Lauren Walton, whose five-year-old son Sam receives specialist support, said: "He doesn’t notice that he’s disadvantaged in any way, but if the support’s taken away, he will just fall even further behind at school, it’s making a disabled child even more disadvantaged."
Parents are set to meet with the council on Friday (27 January) to urge them to stop the cuts. A council consultation on the move ends on 29 February.
Councillor Margaret Morris, the council’s lead member for children’s services, said: "Children who already have statements of special educational need will continue to receive support. We are also introducing new services for children with physical, communication and behavioural impairments, in order to keep them learning in mainstream schools wherever possible.
"We have just started to consult with staff on some of our proposed changes but as yet no final decisions have been made."
Salford is the latest council to consider cutting support for deaf children.
Following an NDCS application to the High Court last autumn, Stoke on Trent Council reversed its plans to cut back on specialist teaching numbers.
