High Court orders council to halt cuts to educational support for deaf children

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has been ordered by the High Court to halt cuts to educational support to deaf children ahead of a hearing in September.

The ruling means that the support for the city’s 200 deaf children will remain in place when they start school.

The court has also ordered Stoke not to make any changes to the job descriptions of Teachers of the Deaf. According to the National Deaf Children’s Society, which is bringing the challenge, these would have meant that they no longer directly taught deaf children.

The charity said Stoke had also been stopped from making changes to the criteria that determines support for a deaf child.

NCDS is arguing that in making the changes, the council has failed to properly assess the impacts the cuts would have on deaf children and that bringing in the changes risked putting deaf children at an even greater disadvantage.

The move comes ahead of a hearing on 12 September when the High Court will consider whether to grant the NDCS judicial review.

Jo Campion, NDCS Deputy Director of Policy and Campaigns, said: “The High Court’s decision will be a relief to parents of deaf children in Stoke who have been in a constant state of uncertainty about their children’s future for months. Deaf children across the country are being left behind in the classroom and particularly in this case the council’s decisions to make cuts have been reckless.

“It is great news that the High Court has recognised the need to urgently protect these deaf children whilst it considers whether the case should be granted a judicial review.

Philip Hoult