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Services for deaf children hit by £4m worth of cuts across 45 local authorities

A third of local authorities are set to cut an average of 10 per cent in funding from their specialist services for deaf and hearing-impaired children.

Freedom of Information requests by the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) have revealed that as much as £4 million could be cut from support services this year.

The data shows that of 122 local authorities in England who responded, 45 are cutting specialist support.

However, the Local Government Association (LGA) – which represents local authorities – has blamed a lack of funding from central government for the cuts. It is calling for an “urgent review of funding” to meet the rise in demand for SEN support services.

The attainment gap between deaf children and children with no SEN is widening, with deaf children now achieving more than a whole grade less at GCSE. Overall, 71 per cent of deaf children do not achieve a “good” grade in GCSE English and maths.

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