Access to Learning, Learning to Access longitudinal study
This project is investigating the implementation of the new and unique UK-wide ‘Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment’ or ‘CFVI’ (Hewett et al, 2022).
Children and young people with vision impairment (CYPVI) are typically educated in mainstream settings, as part of a UK-wide approach to inclusive education. CYPVIs access to education is facilitated by specialist professionals who provide tailored guidance to their educational settings. Through the education system CYPVIs also receive support to develop specialist skills relating to their vision impairment.
Despite this specialist provision a large attainment gap between CYPVI and the general population remains. One objective of the CFVI is to improve access to specialist skills for CYPVI, by facilitating a more collaborative approach between specialist and non-specialist professionals, as well as with parents/carers.
We will answer the following questions:
- how the CFVI might best be utilised by specialist and non-specialist educators;
- how the CFVI can best support the needs of CYPVI from low-income families (who are particularly disadvantaged);
- how specialist educational approaches can be best utilised to support inclusive education.
We are undertaking a longitudinal qualitative study and hope to recuit case studies of 30 CYPVI and key persons providing support to them, such as parents/carers, specialist teachers, classroom teachers, teaching assistants and SENCos (150 participants in total). We will track these case studies over a period of two years to assess the implementation of the CFVI and to investigate how it might be used most effectively as an intervention framework to support CYPVI to develop the specialist skills they require.