§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she has now set up the research project into the use of finger spelling in the education of deaf children, which her advisory committee recommended in 1971; and if she will make a statement on the progress made.
§ Mrs. ThatcherI fully accepted the recommendations on research made by my Advisory Committee on Handicapped Children, and my Department has since been engaged in discussions with the Northern Counties School for the Deaf about their proposed research into one-handed finger spelling. It is now hoped that the University of Newcastle will be able to join the School in this research and my Department is awaiting a formal proposal from them.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she has sent a representative to Russia to investigate the methods used there in the education of deaf children; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mrs. ThatcherMembers of HM Inspectorate who visited the USSR in April have now submitted their report. I am considering the implications of the report for the education of the deaf in this country.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make an investigation to see whether deaf children are obtaining the educational qualifications which would enable them to obtain employment commensurate with their intelligence.
§ Mrs. ThatcherI do not think that a special investigation is needed. This problem is already in the forefront of the consideration which is being given to the education of the deaf.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will list the number of special schools for deaf and hard of hearing children which provide certificate of secondary education and O-level courses.
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§ Mr. van StraubenzeeExamination courses were offered in 1971 at the following maintained and non-maintained special schools for the deaf and partially hearing:
- GCE Ordinary Level
- Mary Hare Grammar School, Newbury.
- Burwood Park School, Walton-on-Thames.
- Ovingdean Hall School, Brighton.
- Royal Cross School, Preston.
- Certificate of Secondary Education
- Northern Counties School for the Deaf, Newcastle.
- Beverley Road School for the Deaf, Teesside.
- Elmete Hall School, Leeds.
- Maud Maxfield School, Sheffield.
- Odsal House School, Bradford.
- Yorkshire Residential School, Doncaster.
- Thomasson Memorial School, Bolton.
- Alice Elliott School, Liverpool.
- Royal School for the Deaf, Cheadle Hulme.
- Birkdale School, Southport.
- St. John's School, Boston Spa.
- Whitebrook School, Manchester.
- Royal School for the Deaf, Derby.
- Braidwood School, Birmingham.
- Longwill School, Birmingham.
- Needwood School, Burton-on-Trent.
- East Anglian School, Gorleston-on-Sea.
- Tewin Water School, Hertfordshire.
- Heston School, Hounslow.
- Blanche Neville School, Haringey.
- Burwood Park School, Walton-on-Thames.
- Nutfield Priory School, Redhill.
- Royal School for the Deaf, Margate.
- Ovingdean Hall School, Brighton.
- Royal West of England School for the Deaf, Exeter.
- Hartley House School, Plymouth.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if she will list the number of children in special schools for the deaf and hard of hearing who obtain certificate of secondary education or O-levels;
(2) if she will express the number of children in deaf and hard of hearing schools who obtain certificate of secondary education or O-level as a percentage of the children in the age group in these special schools;
(3) if she will make a survey of the educational attainments of a year's leavers from schools for the deaf and hard of hearing.
§ Mr. van StraubenzeePupils in special schools for the deaf and partially hearing obtained the following numbers of individual subject passes in the 1970 and 1971 CSE and GCE examinations. The number of pupils is not available.
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1970 1971 CSE 382 538 GCE "0" Level 109 172 GCE "A" Level 20 22 A survey of school leavers only showed that the following results were obtained in the academic year 1970–71, in 38 out of the 42 schools which include pupils in the relevant age range. These results were obtained by 91 out of 404 school leavers; they do not include the results of pupils who obtained CSE passes below Grade 1. A percentage cannot therefore be given.
CSE—35 leavers with 1 or 2 Grade 1 results 12 leavers with 3 or 4 Grade 1 results —Equivalent to 0 Level passes.GCE O-Level—14 leavers with 1 or 2 O-Level passes.13 leavers with 3 or 4 O-Level passes.7 leavers with 5 or more 0-Level passes.GCE A-Level—3 leavers with 1 A-Level pass.7 leavers with 2 or more A-Level passes.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will give the percentage of children in special schools for the deaf and hard of hearing that go on to some form of higher education.
§ Mrs. ThatcherComplete information is not available. The main avenue of entry into higher education for the deaf and partially hearing is the Mary Hare Grammar School. About 4 per cent. of the pupils who enter the academic course there enter degree courses.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if instruction in the use of manual communication is yet part of any training course for teachers of the deaf.
§ Mrs. ThatcherNo.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will give the reasons for the delay in the publication of the survey into the ability of deaf school leavers to communicate by speech and lip-reading, which was expected in 1972 and is not now to be published until the end of 1973.
§ Mrs. ThatcherThe hon. Member may recall that my noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State wrote to him on 26th June informing him that this survey will 441W be included in the next biennial Report of my Department's Chief Medical Officer which should be published this Autumn.
There is no question of it being, delayed until the end of 1973.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will seek to ascertain the extent to which external examining bodies permit assistance in understanding the questions to be given those born deaf children whose vocabulary may be limited.
§ Mrs. ThatcherI am making inquiries whether schools for the deaf and partially hearing are experiencing difficulties in this respect.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if she will request local education authorities to inform her of the number and proportion of unqualified teachers of the deaf that they employ, and the number of graded posts they have for teachers of the deaf;
(2) what is the present proportion of teachers in schools and units for the deaf and hard of hearing who have a special qualification to teach deaf children; and what it was for each of the five years.
§ Mrs. ThatcherAll teachers in partially hearing units attached to ordinary schools are required to have obtained a special qualification: teachers in schools for the deaf and partially hearing must obtain this within three years of taking up post. Figures for 1972 and for each of the preceding five years are not readily available, and I will arrange for them to be sent to the hon. Member together with the information on graded posts.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she is satisfied, on the basis of applications made to her, that the proportions of posts for teachers of the deaf which are graded, is sufficiently similar in all educational areas; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. van StraubenzeeNo applications needs to be made to my right hon. Friend about graded posts. The 1972 statutory salaries document contains a new provision giving greater discretion to local education authorities in respect of more higher-paid posts in special schools.
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§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will take steps to discover the number of non-communicating children who are in hospital schools and special schools; and if she will investigate how many of these are deaf and how many could be helped by the use of manual communication.
§ Mrs. ThatcherThe educational, psychological, medical and phsiological needs of handicapped children are already carefully assessed before they are admitted to special schools and reassessed from time to time thereafter. Children in hospital are under close medical supervision and the facilities of the local education authority are also available to them. Children with problems of language development are helped by whatever communication methods are most appropriate.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps she is taking to increase the proportion of teachers of deaf children who are qualified.
§ Mrs. ThatcherThe number of teachers annually obtaining the special qualification for teaching the deaf and partially hearing has risen since 1968 by nearly 30 per cent. The number of places in the two training centres provided by university departments has also been increased during this period. In 1969 a new course was set up in a college of education: this produces about 30 additional teachers a year and is expected to expand to an annual total of 40. In addition it is hoped that a further university course will be provided within the next few years.