Room 5 - Education Policies Room (Section 5 of 6)
Section 5: Room recap – key things learnt
Review of learning outcomes from this room
To develop your knowledge and understanding in the following areas:
- The population of children who have a visual impairment in the UK
The different educational settings where children with visual impairment are educated
- The meaning of the term ‘Special Educational Needs’ (SEN) and how these needs are met in educational settings
- UK legislation that determines the educational provision for children with visual impairment
It would be expected that you could now answer the following questions – some thoughts are now provided:
- What are the factors that have and do determine where children with visual impairment are educated today? The recent trend towards the inclusion of children with visual impairment into mainstream education has been reinforced by government policy including the 1981 Education Act and the more recent 2001 SENDA. Other factors that determine where children with visual impairment are educated include the nature of any additional disabilities they might have and the availability of schools and specialist resources in the local authority area.
- Who are the key professionals involved in the education of children with visual impairment? Along with non-specialist school staff (class teachers, teaching assistants, SENCOs), there are a variety of professionals that might be involved in the education of children with visual impairment
- What are the special educational needs of children with visual impairment? Children with visual impairment will have a wide range of special educational needs. In order to meet these needs they may require support in a number of areas including listening skills, tactile skills, visual skills, access through technology, and mobility and independence skills that together make up the ‘special’ curriculum.
- What are the different levels of intervention described within the Code of Practice and at what level(s) might mobility and independence support be provided? The revised Code describes a ‘graduated’ approach incorporating the levels of ‘School Action’ and ‘School Action Plus’ that recognises that there is a continuum of SEN and, where appropriate, brings increasing levels of specialist expertise to support children’s learning. Intervention at the level of School Action might involve ‘one-off or occasional advice’ from LEA support services, for example an environmental audit carried out by a QTVI or MIE. At the level of School Action Plus, a request for support will usually have been made to external services following a review of the child’s IEP, to provide more specialist input and may include regular visits by professionals from a specialist service (e.g. a MIE employed by the visual impairment support service). The external specialist may act in an advisory capacity, provide additional specialist assessment or be involved in working with the child directly.
- What are the potential implications of SENDA for mobility and independence education? The SENDA has far reaching implications for M&I education, as all schools will now have to ensure that disabled children are not disadvantaged compared to their peers. Schools will need to keep their policies, practices and procedures under review, and may need to think about their school and curriculum organisation and the deployment of staff and timetabling of lessons for disabled pupils. This includes improving access to the curriculum, physical improvements to increase access to education and associated services, and improved information in a range of formats for disabled children as well as providing access to extra-curricula activities, school trips and sporting activities. An increasing role for the MIE will be in undertaking environmental and risk assessments, which are discussed in more detail in the Assessment section of the Delivery Room.
Questions which may have been raised (and links with other sections)
- The M&I curriculum – what are the key areas of the M&I curriculum and how do they link with other parts of the curriculum?
- How can the M&I needs of children with visual impairments be identified?
- When and where should M&I education be taught to children?
- What roles can various professionals and other people, for example parents, play in the delivery of the M&I curriculum to children? Referral, Assessment, Intervention, Review.
- Which professionals and agencies should be involved in delivering different areas of the M&I curriculum?
- How is it best to manage multi-agency working?
- What training do various professionals (and others) require to deliver the M&I curriculum?
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