Different types of school for deaf children

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1 This factsheet tells you which types of school are available for deaf children in England. For information on schools in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, phone our Freephone Helpline on (voice and text), us at or contact us via Live Chat at When deciding which school your child should go to, your local authority (LA) has to follow regulations that depend on the type of school you want and whether your child has a statement of special educational needs or, from 1 September 2014, an Education, Health and Care plan (EHC plan). Statements and EHC plans are both documents setting out a child s special educational needs and how they should be met. Between September 2014 and April 2018 EHC plans will replace statements, but this should not affect the way decisions are made about school placements. If you would like more information or if you have any questions, contact our Freephone Helpline. Can I choose the school my child will attend? This depends whether your child has a statement/ehc plan or not. All children in England between the ages of 5 and 16 are entitled to a free place in a state school. You cannot always get the one you want, but you can express a preference. For children who don t have a statement/ehc plan: if you want your child to attend a state-funded mainstream school, you should find out about the admissions arrangements. Contact the school or local authority to find out more. You may find the following documents useful. The The Admissions Appeal Code Both of these are available at Local authority-controlled special schools are not usually available to children without statements (though in authorities that issue few statements, they may be). If you want to place your child in a private school you will be responsible for paying the fees. For children with statements/ehc plans: you should discuss your choice of school with the local authority, because they are responsible for placing children with statements/ehc plans. As a general rule, the local authority has a duty to consider parental preference but at the same time it has a duty to spend public money efficiently. NDCS uses the word deaf to refer to all levels of hearing loss

2 In practice, this means that the local authority does not have to fund a place in the parents preferred school unless Either: the cost of placing your child in your preferred school would not be significantly higher than placing them in the local authority s preferred school. Or: your preferred school is the only one which can meet your child s needs (note: the local authority s duty is to provide an adequate education, not necessarily the best one). If the local authority agrees that a place at a private/non-maintained school is appropriate, and they name the school in a child s statement or EHC plan, the local authority will have to pay the fees. They will also have to make sure that any support needed (as set out in part 3 of the statement of special educational needs or section F of the EHC Plan) is provided. State-funded or private schools? State schools receive their funding either directly from central government or through the local authority. State schools that receive their funding via the local authority are known as maintained schools. These include community schools, foundation schools, and voluntary schools. State schools that receive money directly from the government include academies and free schools. Private schools are funded by fees from parents or charitable trusts. All these school types are explained in more detail below. For a summary of school types see the table on page 5. Maintained or non-maintained schools? The terms maintained and non-maintained relate to the way a school is funded and controlled. A maintained school is funded and controlled by the local authority. There are fewer maintained schools since the introduction of new categories of state-funded schools, such as academies and free schools, which are not maintained by the local authority. Mainstream or special schools? Mainstream schools cater for children of all abilities. All children have a right to attend a mainstream school unless placing them there would prevent the efficient education of the other children in the school. It is unlawful for a mainstream state school to refuse a place to a child on the grounds that it is unable to meet the child s special educational needs. Some state-funded mainstream schools have specialist units or bases for deaf children. This can mean that one or several classrooms have been adapted and are used especially for teaching deaf children. In some schools, deaf children will attend mainstream classes with support from a communication support worker, teaching assistant or learning support assistant. In other schools, deaf children are taught in the unit or resource facility for some or all lessons. Attending a school with a unit counts as attending a mainstream school. Funding for the unit/resource base is sometimes held

3 by the local authority and sometimes by the school. Special schools specialise in teaching children with special educational needs. There are specialist deaf schools and other special schools that cater for children with a range of special needs including deafness. Academies Academies receive money from the government directly they are independent of the local authority. They don t have to follow the national curriculum and they can set their own term times. They still have to follow the same rules on admissions, special educational needs and exclusions as other state schools. Community schools With community schools, the local authority employs the school's staff, owns the school's land and buildings, and is the admissions authority (that is, they decide on the policy to follow when offering places to pupils, and how many places to offer). Community schools look to develop strong links with the community, sometimes offering use of their facilities and providing services such as child and adult learning classes. Foundation and Trust schools The governing body is both the employer and the admissions authority in a foundation school. The school's land and buildings are either owned by the governing body or a charity. A new type of foundation school involves setting up a trust. The main difference is that the trust appoints the school s governors. Free schools Free schools are similar to academies they are funded directly by the government, not controlled by the local authority and don t have to follow the National Curriculum. They can be set up by teachers, parents, charities or community groups in response to parental demand for such a school in the area. Voluntary-aided schools Voluntary-aided schools are usually run by church organisations. The local authority provides the largest amount of funding to the school. The governing body is the employer and the admissions authority. The school's land and buildings are normally owned by a registered charity. The governing body will contribute towards the costs of running the school.

4 Voluntary-controlled schools Voluntary-controlled schools are set up by voluntary organisations. The local authority is the employer and the admissions authority. The school s land and buildings will normally be owned by a registered charity (usually a church). As with community schools, the local authority employs the school s staff and sets the admission criteria. City technology colleges City technology colleges are funded directly by the government and offer a wide range of vocational qualifications alongside A-levels or equivalents. They teach the national curriculum and focus on science, maths and technology and the world of work, offering a range of vocational qualifications as well as GCSEs and A-levels. Most city technology colleges have now converted to academies. Faith schools Faith schools are mostly run in the same way as other state schools. However, their faith status may be reflected in their religious education curriculum, admissions criteria and staffing policies. Grammar schools Grammar schools select all or most of their pupils based on academic ability. Children with SEN are still expected to meet the entrance requirements. However, where there is an entrance examination, reasonable adjustments must be made to make it accessible to your deaf child in the same way as reasonable adjustments should be made for any exams. Are all schools covered by the Equality Act?. The Equality Act 2010 requires all schools to make reasonable adjustments for disabled children. This includes a duty to provide additional aids and services (for example, radio aids or other specialist equipment). State-funded schools must also comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). For further information on the PSED and the Equality Act, see the NDCS factsheet: The Equality Act and your Deaf Child s Education.

5 types at a glance Type of school Academy Community City Technology College Foundation Free Private school (including private special schools) How is it funded? Direct from Department for Education (DfE) LA DfE, plus private business sponsors LA Direct from DfE Privately funded through fees from parents and charitable trust funds Who is responsible for admissions?* LA subject to and headteacher Trust school LA Voluntary-aided school Voluntarycontrolled school 90% from LA and 10% from governing body (usually from the diocese) LA LA subject to Does the school have to follow the National Curriculum? No No No *For children with statements/ehc plans the local authority applies for a place. If the school is a maintained school, the local authority can name the school on the child s statement even if the school does not agree, but the school can appeal to the Secretary of State.

6 More information If you are looking for more information on schools or general education issues the Department for Education website has a lot of useful information. Visit or call , Typetalk There is also useful information on the Ofsted website: You can also get copies of individual school inspection reports from this site. NDCS has a wide range of resources about education for deaf children. For more information take a look at our website: The following publications might be of particular interest. Supporting the Achievement of Deaf Children in Early Years Settings Supporting the Achievement of Deaf Children in Primary s Supporting the Achievement of Deaf Children in Secondary s Starting Primary Starting Secondary The Equality Act and your Deaf Child s Education Which for your Deaf Child? For information and practical support on issues related to childhood deafness, contact the NDCS Freephone Helpline on , us at helpline@ndcs.org.uk or contact us via Live Chat at If you prefer to speak a language other than English, tell us the language of your choice and your phone number (in English). We will call you back with an interpreter within a few minutes. This information can be requested in large print, in Braille and on audio CD. August 2014