How Should Your Child Be Supported at School or College?

Understanding what support your child might need for their vision impairment at school or college can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially if you are unsure what that support should look like.

The following guide is here to help you feel more confident in knowing what laws and guidance schools and colleges should be following as well as what support your child is entitled to.

This guide is aimed at parents or carers, however if you are a student and would like to know more about how your school or college should support you this guide is still a handy way to find out more! We also have a range of resources written for students on primary andsecondaryschool as well asCollege, Sixth form and Apprenticeships.

Understanding the Law

All education settings have a legal duty to support children and young people who are blind or partially sighted. The main law that protects and supports students aged 0 to 25 in education is the Children and Families Act 2014.

Schools and colleges must also follow the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice 2015, which provides practical guidance for schools to follow. This includes what schools and colleges should and shouldn’t do under the law.

Quality First Teaching (QFT)

All schools and colleges should be providing what is known as Quality First Teaching (QFT). QFT is a teaching approach that makes sure all students can access learning in the way that works best for them.

For blind or partially sighted students, this might include specific teaching strategies and adaptations which ensures their needs are being met. This might look like modifying things such as tasks and pacing of activities or providing alternative reading materials and resources.

“It’s all about understanding your rights and making sure to ask for what your child is entitled to” Faith, Thomas Pocklington Trust Student Voice Volunteer

What Professionals Might Be Involved In Your Child’s Support?

There are two types of professionals that might be involved in your child’s support at school; those within the school and those who work for your Local Authority (LA) Sensory team.

All schools and colleges should have a designated staff member who oversees support for students who have special education needs or a disability. For primary and secondary school,this professional is normally theSpecialist Needs Coordinator (SENCO). Atcollegethis professional may be the SENCO or a different staff member within the college as part of a support team.

Those who work for the Sensory team at your Local Authority will have more specialist vision impairment roles such as a Qualified Teacher of Vision Impairment (QTVI)or ahabilitation specialist.Your child does not necessarily need an EHCP to access support from these professionals.

Once the school or college is aware of your child’s needs, they should contact the Local Authority sensory team to make sure your child can access this support. This is normally done through a formal referral. If the school or college hasn’t done this, then you or your child can also contact the Local Authority yourselves.

Top tip!

Want to find out more about the different types of roles available to support your child? Visit our webpageThe Professionals There to Support You at School.

Support Plans

If you have made school or college aware of your child’s vision impairment, they should speak to you and your child about getting support in place. This support should be formalised in a document and shared with any relevant teaching or support staff so everyone is aware of what is needed.

This document can have different names depending on the setting but is more commonly known as My Support Plan (MSP), Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Special Education Needs (SEN) plan. In this guidance, we refer to it as a “Support Plan”.

For primary and secondary school, the professional who oversees the Support Plan is normally theSENCO. At college this professional may be the SENCO or a different staff member who is usually part of Student Support Services.

What Might Be in a Support Plan?

The Support Plan should be personal to your child’s strengths and needs and should list any different accommodations the school will provide to support them in their learning.

Below we have listed some general accommodations which you might expect to see in a Support Plan. It’s important to remember that this list is not exhaustive and each Support Plan will be individual to the young person:

• Providing differentiated learning materials for their level of vision such as larger font sizes, styles and colour contrasts.
• Access toassistive technologyin the classroom such as a laptop or iPad, screen reader, braille displays or note takers.
• School environment adaptations such as clear signage, tactile paths or landmarks.
• Specific seating arrangements and classroom layouts.
• Support during unstructured parts of the day e.g. at the start and end of the day, breaks, lunchtimes, clubs and trips.
• Communication strategies for teaching staff such as providing clear directional instructions and verbally describing what is happening.

Top tip!

TheCurriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment(CFVI), is a useful tool to understand what areas of support should be covered in discussions around your child’s support. The CFVI is a framework outlining the key areas in which children and young people might need specialist support for vision impairment. For further information on the CFVI visit ourPolicy pages.

How is Support Reviewed?

All schools and colleges have a legal duty to provide support to blind and partially sighted students which is covered in the SEND Code of Practice. This support is put in place through what is called the “The Graduated Approach”, which makes sure support is reviewed and adjusted if progress is not being made. This review follows a four-part cycle known as “Assess-Plan-Do-Review”.

As part of the four-stage model, you should have a set date each year for a review meeting to look at your child’s current support, what is working, and what they might need in the future.

Top Tip!

Want to learn more about the Graduated Approach? The Independent Provider of Special Education Advice (IPSEA) has a range of information and guide we’d recommend reading to learn more.

What Next?

If you think your child is not getting the support they need at school or college, or you think their support plan could better suit their needs, we always recommend speaking with the schoolSENCOor support team to discuss support.

If you need further information or advice on your child’s support then you can also contact our Education Information Advice and Guidance Service on EducationAdvice@pocklington.org.ukor call our support line on 0203 757 8040.

These guides have been created with our partner Guide Dogs, you can read more about the partnership on our news page.