Teachers of children and young people who are blind or partially sighted, deaf, or deafblind: guidance - consultation

Teacher competencies for teachers of children and young people who are deaf, and GTCS Standard for Career-Long Professional Learning (2021).

Being a Teacher in Scotland

1.1 Professional Values

Demonstrate commitment to critical reflective practice:

• Engage in ongoing professional learning in relation to the curriculum and the field of deaf education studies.
• Show active involvement in collegial activities with other qualified teachers of deaf children and young people (QToDs), other mainstream teachers, trainee ToDs (including mentoring of trainee ToDs when possible) and colleagues from allied professions such as speech and language therapy.
• Provide parent education opportunities.
• Plan and evaluate their own progress with the QToD competencies and further skill qualifications.

Demonstrate a clear commitment to inclusion and anti-discrimination attitudes:

• Understand different attitudes to inclusion and deafness, including those related to deaf identities and cultures.
• Critically understand what inclusive practice means for deaf children and young people and what resources need to be in place to secure it.
• Uphold in their professional practice the rights and aspirations of all children and young people to have at least one fluent language before the age of five.

Demonstrate accountability to the deaf child or young person and others:

• This includes being accountable to the deaf child or young person, parents/carers, managers, local authority officers and inspectors in providing choices, information, support and high-quality teaching to deaf children and young people.
• Maintain high expectations for successful learning, aspirations, and outcomes for deaf children and young people with the aim of closing the deaf-hearing attainment gap.
• Demonstrate openness and honesty about work performed as a QToD, justifying decision-making professionally using evidence-based practices.

Demonstrate valuing the diversity and uniqueness of each deaf child or young person:

• Demonstrate valuing different strengths and challenges, seeing the deaf child or young person as an individual and as part of many overlapping communities.

1.2 Professional Commitment

Demonstrate a commitment to continually update your own knowledge about deaf education:

• Critically evaluate research and resources, know how to read and interpret new research critically, and identify regular professional opportunities, networks and further study opportunities.
• Develop strategies to keep up to date in relation to policy, legal and curriculum changes in Scotland, and in the UK where relevant, which affect the education system and deaf children and young people working in and with relevant organisations.

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the legislation and policies for children and young people who are deaf:

• Be able to reflect on the effectiveness of their practice in different contexts and roles, and the level of awareness of appropriate practices for children and young people who are deaf from ages 0–18 years, in the context of current legislation, policies and advice for education and access, and local and national support provision.
• The range of UK and Scottish legislation and policy relating to discrimination, privacy, child protection and human rights includes the Equality Act (2010); United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; Education (Scotland) Act 2016; Data Protection Act 2018; Getting it Right For Every Child, Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, Education (Disability Strategies and Pupils’ Educational Records) (Scotland) Act 2002, The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000, Additional support for learning: statutory guidance 2017; United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024
• Have knowledge of The Additional Support for Learning Dispute Resolution (Scotland) Regulations 2005, and understand the process for placing requests and referrals to the First-Tier Tribunal for Scotland (Additional Support Needs jurisdiction).
• Have knowledge of the information and support services provided by Enquire on Additional Support for Learning for parents and carers and young people.

1.3 Standard for Career-Long Professional Learning

Demonstrate openness to change and engagement with new ideas in the field of deaf education:

• Keep up to date with deaf education academic and professional reading, engaging actively with specialist professional associations.
• Show evidence of continuing updating of skills as new ideas influence deaf education practice and theories, through engagement with specialist ongoing professional development.
• Engage with other specialists (for example in journal clubs, practitioner inquiry, reviewing resources or systems) to improve deaf education.

Professional Knowledge and Understanding

2.1 Curriculum and Pedagogy

Have an enhanced and critically informed understanding of pedagogical and learning theories and professional practice:

• Demonstrate a critical understanding of different perspectives on deafness.
• Understand medical perspectives, the social model of disability, and a range of cultural attitudes, and deaf community perspectives on deafness.
• Understand the consequences of these perspectives, for example in formal and informal language policies / beliefs in families, groups and professionals.
• Know about the history of deaf communities over time, and their variety in Scotland and the UK today.

Demonstrate a critical understanding of bi/multilingualism, the effects of racism and other forms of discrimination, of living on a low income, and how these issues interact with being deaf:

• Recognise the cultural strengths of families with deaf children from a wide range of socio-cultural backgrounds.
• Demonstrate understanding of how teachers of deaf children and young people can advocate as agents of change in relation to services in and out-with education.
• Be able to self-evaluate their own cultural knowledge and understanding of different minority groups, including deaf communities, considering how preconceptions may influence the service they provide.

Have an enhanced and critically informed understanding of research and engagement in practitioner enquiry:

• Engage with other teachers and colleagues of deaf children and young people, including allied professions in practitioner enquiry. Devise enquiries based on local authority service needs, co-constructed with others including parents of deaf children and deaf young people themselves.
• Follow the principles of ethical practitioner enquiry, including ethical design (British Educational Research Association, 2018).
• Report back to organisations and groups on findings and contribute to further development of local authority plans and Health Board plans for deaf children and young people.

Have an enhanced and critically informed understanding of curriculum design:

• Understand how delays in spoken or written English and/or British Sign Language (BSL) can impede progress of deaf children or young people in the school system.
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of the Curriculum for Excellence and the National Assessment framework.
• Understand the relationship between fluent language and literacy in English, current achievement of deaf children and young people with literacy and numeracy, and how different approaches support literacy and numeracy development with deaf children and young people.
• Know the communicative demands of different social interactive environments and spoken/written genres.

Design and implement a coherent communication programme:

• Be able to devise a programme which develops communication, listening, language(s), and literacies in relation to the deaf child or young person’s language communication choices and needs.
• Report outcomes and prepare accurate assessment reports whose findings can be understood and used by teachers, other professionals, and parents/carers.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of communication programmes, policies, and provision.
• Provide a wide range of opportunities for the development of receptive and expressive language(s) to age-appropriate levels as swiftly and completely as possible.
• Support language and literacy acquisition and extension in all lessons, regardless of the subject being taught.

Have an enhanced and critically informed understanding of planning for assessment, teaching and learning:

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the principles of assessment.
• Demonstrate the range of instruments currently available to teachers to assess communication, language, literacy, numeracy, and wellbeing and show a critical understanding of their application with deaf children and young people.
• Know how formative assessment strategies can help develop deaf children and young peoples’ communication, language, literacy numeracy and wellbeing effectively across the curriculum.
• Have knowledge of the range of national assessment arrangements available from which deaf children and young people may benefit.

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of audiology and audiometry:

• Understand definitions of categories of deafness, including anatomy, physiology, functions, and disorders of the auditory system and causes of deafness.
• Critically review and show understanding of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening; screening, diagnostic and referral procedures; audiometric results, and audiological and clinical reports.
• Understand how devices such as hearing aids, cochlear implants (CIs), and radio frequency systems (FM) work.
• Confidently understand the methods used to assess the quality of sound provided by hearing aids, CIs, and FM systems.
• Understand how to verify hearing aids and radio aid systems using a test box and to evaluate the results effectively.
• Understand speech acoustics and its application to speech perception in noise, and to spoken language development.
• Demonstrate understanding of environmental acoustics (ambient noise, RT60 and C50) and the implication for types of deafness (conductive and sensorineural) on communication, language and listening to speech in noise.
• Know how to keep up to date with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) criteria for CIs and Bone Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) eligibility, and the roles of professionals who provide this information to parents and deaf children and young people.
• Recognise issues for particular groups of deaf children and young people in achieving in school, such as children or young people with fluctuating, mild, progressive, or unilateral deafness.
• Know the range of available classroom related audiological equipment and amplification systems and how to use them appropriately and effectively in different acoustic environments to optimise progress and achievement.

2.2 Professional Responsibilities

Have an enhanced and critically informed understanding of education systems:

• Demonstrate knowledge of deaf education in Scotland and the UK.
• Show critical understanding of the range of educational settings and related professional partnerships.
• Understand the roles and responsibilities of the QToD and other professionals and staff working with deaf children and young people and families, including the importance of joint work with Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, audiologists and the range of communication and support workers and technological support services available.
• Know about a range of organisations run for and by deaf people and know how they can work in partnership with education.
• Understand and know how to access the resources and support available to deaf children and young people and their families.
• Be able to critically evaluate the potential effectiveness of different educational / play settings.
• Understand the factors that contribute to securing optimum learning environments for all children and young people and steps that can be taken to achieve them.
• Know the history of the profession of ToDs, and show awareness of how the role varies regionally, nationally and internationally.

Have an enhanced and critically informed understanding of learning communities:

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the principles and sequence of language acquisition in spoken English and British Sign Language (BSL).
• Demonstrate knowledge of observation and analysis approaches to the development of spoken English, BSL and literacy in deaf children and young people.
• Show confidence in recognising age-appropriate spoken English and/or BSL.
• Understand the stages of listening and receptive skills development and how to support and assess these.
• Understand linguistic features in spoken and written English and BSL e.g. phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax and pragmatics.
• Understand the impact of inaccessible or impoverished linguistic environments on the process of deaf children and young people’s language acquisition and communication.
• Know how to support the deaf child or young person’s expressive and receptive language(s) and literacies to enable them to access and progress through the curriculum more independently.
• Critically evaluate programmes and technologies that can support language acquisition in speech and sign in deaf children and young people.
• Recognise the way deaf children and young people, teachers and families can use all their linguistic resources and senses to communicate and learn.

Professional Skills and Abilities

3.1 Curriculum and Pedagogy

Plan effectively to meet children and young peoples’ needs:

• Demonstrate knowledge and a critical understanding of the range of additional needs that a deaf child or young person might have or develop.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the impact on learning of specific medical conditions, syndromes and disabilities which can be associated with hearing impairment, including where hearing impairment arises as part of multiple and complex support needs, and additional learning difficulties, and how these may affect their development.
• Have a critical understanding of technologies, teaching approaches and the roles of other staff who can support deaf children and young people with additional needs.
• Understand the range of mental health issues experienced by deaf children and young people and the services available in Scotland to meet their needs.
• Understand the social and emotional benefits of a deaf peer group and the advantage of being able to interact with peers who use sign language.

Demonstrate through professional practice the effective use of audiological information and technology:

• Demonstrate a range of strategies which maximise the use of hearing to develop spoken language communication.
• Demonstrate the use of formal and informal assessments for measuring functional listening, training and advising families and other professionals so they can check, understand and use amplification equipment effectively.
• Enable deaf children and young people to make optimal use of their listening and speechreading skills.
• Carry out listening checks of personal hearing aids and other equipment.
• Carry out electro-acoustic checks of personal hearing aids and other amplification, and interpret data related to these, e.g. testbox.
• Make functional checks of earmold condition and suitability, encouraging autonomy in children and young people in learning to check their own hearing aids.
• Evaluate with the deaf child or young person the effectiveness and appropriateness of the child or young person’s amplification package for the different listening environments which they experience.
• Use personal amplification devices to best support the deaf child or young person’s learning in a particular lesson or environment. Identify and link the most effective technology/devices to support access to auditory and visual information for a specific deaf child or young person in each environment.
• Use a range of educational technology effectively and demonstrate its use to others.
• With the deaf child and young person and/or family, evaluate the deaf child or young person’s listening development, making recommendations and referrals to audiology and other professionals where appropriate.

Critically and effectively utilise pedagogical approaches and resources:

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the range of communication approaches used with deaf children and young people.
• The range includes auditory-oral approaches, auditory-verbal therapy, British Sign Language (BSL), BSL and English used in a bilingual/bicultural approach, Sign Supported English (SSE) with/without speech, cued speech, hands-on BSL, alternative and augmentative communication systems for children and young people with severe learning difficulties.

Acquire appropriate language and communication skills to communicate fluently with a range of deaf children and young people:

• To be able to teach and monitor progress effectively, and maintain high expectations, it is essential that teachers of deaf children and young people can communicate fluently.
• Gain BSL skills to a minimum of SCQF level 5 within a year of gaining the appropriate qualification (Signature Level 2 BSL).
• Demonstrate a commitment, with the employer, to enhancing and maintaining BSL skills to allow fluent communication between current or potential child or young person attending school, e.g. recommendation for some ToDs in each authority to reach SCQF 6 BSL within 3 years of qualifying as a teacher of deaf children and young people.
• Demonstrate a commitment to continuous CPD to develop skills to support deaf children and young people’s language development and access to the curriculum, for example, electronic notetaking, cued speech, early years with deaf children, auditory verbal therapy, and speechreading teaching.

Critically and effectively use partnerships for learning and wellbeing:

• Know about how deaf young people progress to further and higher education, training and employment.
• Maintain a critical understanding of the supports and barriers for young adults, including Access to Work, Student Awards Agency Scotland, Disabled Students’ Allowances, Skills Development Scotland, and support available for apprentices.
• Understand the Further and Higher Education system, (and in the UK where relevant) in relation to children and young people’s aspirations, including potential barriers and articulation routes deaf young people may take.

Understand the rationale, principles, objectives, strategies and practices of working in partnership with others in deaf education:

• Understand effective partnership work with families, schools, deaf community members, and other agencies.
• Understand the importance of reviews of audiology, and the spoken and sign language available in the child or young person’s environment, especially when there are concerns about the child or young person’s progress.
• Demonstrate a critical understanding of the principles of key working and informed choices.

Demonstrate a critical understanding of professional practice in working with families of deaf babies and children:

• Demonstrate professional practice by working collaboratively with parents and caregivers of deaf infants, children and young people, with professional and multi-disciplinary teams and relevant agencies.
• Demonstrate advisory and training skills to enable teachers, teaching assistants, families and other professionals to acquire skills and meet the needs of deaf children and young people effectively.
• Plan and evaluate effectively jointly and openly with colleagues, families and deaf children and young people.
• Model, coach encourage and work in partnership with the family and others so that the deaf child or young person’s linguistic development in one or more languages is optimised, especially in the period 0 – 5, following international benchmarks for early support.

Demonstrate professional practice related to advocacy:

• Use advocacy and advisory skills effectively to support deaf children and young people and their families.
• The range of advocacy situations will include modelling inclusive pedagogy approaches, using communication technologies proficiently, demonstrating the importance of a range of deaf role models, introducing programmes such as Deaf Studies, and demonstrating deaf people’s achievements in teaching materials and resources.
• Alongside the class teacher and others such as deaf professionals, assess and monitor the self-help and independence skills of deaf children and young people, including their independent learning and resilience.
• Foster perseverance, concentration and enthusiasm for learning by structuring teaching so that deaf children and young people are clear about what is expected of them and enjoy learning.

Demonstrate competence in supporting the wellbeing of deaf children and young people:

• Demonstrate this competence through effective personal, social and health education, and show the ability to intervene to support deaf children and young people with distressed behaviour.
• Advise and support families and schools in providing environments and experiences that support the child or young person’s emotional wellbeing.
• Use effective strategies to promote positive behaviour, prevent distressed behaviour from occurring, and support children and young people to regulate their emotions and behaviour in accordance with the school/setting’s policies.
• Promote and support knowledge and skills related to sex and relationship education for the deaf child or young person using fluent language to match the child or young person’s language use or carefully working with interpreters.
• Develop and use listening skills in speech or BSL/SSE to understand deaf children and young peoples’/parents’ viewpoints.
• Observe and promote very early communicative behaviour in deaf babies and young children sing fluent spoken (skills) or accessing interpreters/specialists in BSL or SSE skills.

Act as a lead professional or keyworker for families, children and young people:

• Show increasing confidence in helping parents to access services and express their views, co-ordinating the team working with the family so that the child or young person’s needs and rights are met, ensuring that services for deaf children and young people continue to improve.
• Recognise and understand the variety of responses of parents following diagnosis of deafness and the potential impact that this may have on family life.
• Provide information in ways which take account of family diversity and support their ability to make informed choices.
• Observe and promote very early communicative behaviour in deaf babies and young children using fluent spoken, BSL or SSE skills, including supporting the skills and understandings of families/carers.
• Ensure that everyone involved, professionals and parents, is clear about next steps for the deaf child or young person and how this will be achieved.
• Show commitment to the involvement of deaf adult role models and speech and language therapists as partners and professionals in these services.
• Advise and support families and deaf children and young people in creating a facilitative listening and visual environment.

Establish positive, respectful, trusting, supportive and constructive relationships:

• Demonstrate successful professional and positive relationships with deaf children and young people and their families, and with mainstream staff and other colleagues in and out-with education.
• Show self-reflection in evaluating how to improve professional relationships with families, colleagues, deaf children and young people, deaf adults and members of other organisations.
• Provide continuity for the deaf child or young person so they can have regular and supportive contact with a qualified teacher of deaf children and young people from birth to school leaving age.

Critically and effectively employ assessment, evaluate progress, recording and reporting as an integral part of the teaching process to support and enhance learning:

• Demonstrate competence in professional practice by using a range of assessment tools.
• Use assessment tools currently available to assess communication, language, spoken language development, literacy, numeracy and wellbeing, including the critical use of standardised instruments and informal observation.
• Show ability to analyse, interpret and integrate assessment results in the formulation of a child or young person’s profile/plan showing strengths and areas for development.
• Include deaf children and young people and their parents in assessment and target setting processes, ensuring that they contribute to and understand what targets are set and why.
• Develop negotiated goals and priorities within the teaching and learning programme working closely with the class teacher and deaf child or young person.

Demonstrate careful reflection on the progress of all deaf children and young people they are responsible for:

• Make recommendations as to the effectiveness of provision and what needs to change if necessary, including critical reflection on their own practice.
• Provide targeted support at key times, such as transition into nursery, school, between education stages and on leaving school that enable smooth progression routes for the deaf child or young person.
• Demonstrate the capacity to facilitate the development of the child or young person’s ability to understand, negotiate and manage their own linguistic access strategies.
• Support deaf children and young people to become aware of the impact of different teachers’ approaches and ways of learning, so they can manage a wider range.

3.2 The Learning Context

Critically and effectively organise and manage learning:

• Demonstrate professional practice with deaf children and young people by providing effective and supportive teaching and assessment strategies.
• Demonstrate good professional practice in teaching and supporting deaf children and young people across a range of settings, age groups, additional disabilities and socio-cultural contexts.
• Communicate fluently and effectively with children and young people with a range of communication preferences.
• Take effective notes in class for deaf children and young people and demonstrate effective BSL / English interpreting and/or translation skills.
• Plan effectively for individual learning requirements and psycho-social needs.
• Identify and anticipate the difficulties that particular subject areas present for some deaf children and young people, confidently modifying and producing stimulating learning materials for deaf children and young people.
• Understand the role of other senses as well as hearing in the communicative and learning development of deaf children and young people.
• Use strategies to overcome barriers created by additional learning needs in some deaf children and young people such as limited cognitive ability and other disabilities in conjunction with deafness.
• Monitor and evaluate the deaf child or young person’s progress in all aspects of the curriculum, attitudes towards learning, and thinking skills.
• In consultation with deaf children and young people and their families, class teachers and school exam officers, make arrangements for adaptations to national tests, public examinations and external awards which match the communication needs and classroom practices used by the deaf child or young person.

Critically and effectively engage learner participation:

• Demonstrate good professional practice in meeting individual learning needs within an inclusive framework.
• Make reasonable adjustments to the learning environment, to the curriculum and assessments, and in relation to individual and family learning plans.
• Know how to add subtitles to video and organise effective subtitling systems.
• Assess the listening and visual environments, making recommendations, and know how to adapt the environment to support access and inclusion, meeting the needs of deaf children and young people.
• Provide deaf awareness to staff and non-deaf children and young people within school / play setting and evaluate its impact.
• Support deaf children and young people to play a full part in the life of the school, including advocating for their access to after school activities.

3.3 Professional Learning

Engage critically with literature, research, and policy:

• Demonstrate professional and ethical practice which reflects knowledge of legislation and policy.
• The range of practice demonstrated will relate to diversity of cultures, perspectives and opinions; informed parental and child choices; confidentiality of student information; management of student data; referral and reporting procedures; setting priorities and effective resource management; collaborating with government services and non-governmental agencies and organisations; advocacy, mediation and negotiation; rights to future support such as Access To Work and Disabled Students’ Allowances.

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the impacts of deafness on child development:

• Understand the impact of deafness in relation to language development, social emotional development, family-centred practice, learning styles, deaf culture(s), additional disabilities and learning needs.
• Understand the educational, psychological, social and cultural implications of deafness, and the need for urgent action to support the deaf child or young person’s cognitive, linguistic, emotional and social development.

Engage in reflective practice to develop and advance career-long professional learning and expertise:

• Critically evaluate your own skills in BSL and in using other communication approaches.
• Using the SCQF framework, plan continuous informal and formal learning opportunities to increase the range and depth of BSL and other communication skills, and critically reflect on these activities.
• Regularly interact and listen to deaf people who use a range of communication approaches, valuing the role of deaf colleagues.
• Recognise the connections between skill in BSL, depth of BSL vocabulary knowledge and the use of Sign Supported English in some contexts.