Guiding principles and codes of practice: Do teachers of deaf children and young people need them?

This article analyses the history of the profession of teachers of deaf children (ToD) in the United Kingdom, particularly in relation to the interaction they have with the health service. The views of ToDs were explored in relation to professionalism, their identity as a professional and how they deal with ethical dilemmas. Participants were self-selected to join the study and were generally more highly qualified than most UK ToDs. Seventeen ToDs were interviewed, four of whom were deaf. Transcripts were analysed using a reflexive approach and themes constructed based on Braun and Clark (2019) using theories of social justice from Fraser (2008), Crenshaw (Cho, Crenshaw and McCall, 2013) and Lynch et al. (2021). The findings showed that teachers had many professional and ethical issues in their work, particularly in working with health professionals and families. Most were in favour of further professional discussion about a code of practice but only half were in favour of inspection of the work of early years. There was support for more openness and accountability at a local authority level with peers and heads of services. Results are discussed in relation to a social justice framework. Teachers in the UK have varying knowledge of social justice issues in their initial teacher education. The mandatory ToD qualification and continuing professional development could focus more on this area as ToDs work in parental homes, well beyond the usual boundaries of schoolteachers.