That the Parliament recognises that the National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) is an organisation of families, parents and carers, providing emotional and practical support for families with deaf children and is the leading provider of impartial information and individual advocacy on every aspect of childhood deafness; is aware that NDCS estimates that there are up to 3,850 deaf children in Scotland; understands that about 80% of school-age deaf children are taught in mainstream  schools and that 31% of teachers of deaf children are not fully qualified to do so, suggesting that the statutory duty to provide minimum levels of teachers qualified to work with deaf children is not being fully implemented; further understands that there is a significant gap in educational attainment for Scotland’s deaf learners, including in Cunninghame North, which develops early and is evident through to school leaving age and beyond; notes calls for investigation into the causes for this significant gap in attainment, particularly around the provision of support to children and families, the provision of additional support for learning to deaf learners, and the emotional health and wellbeing of deaf children and young people, and considers that this is an urgent problem and that action is required to address and close this gap for deaf children and young people, to ensure that all are ready to succeed when leaving school and have an equal opportunity to contribute to their own and Scotland’s economic future prosperity.